Johnson D R, O'Higgins P
Centre for Human Biology, University of Leeds, W. Yorkshire, U.K.
J Theor Biol. 1996 Nov 7;183(1):89-93. doi: 10.1006/jtbi.1996.0204.
Homeobox (hox) genes are of considerable importance in the formation of the body axis of invertebrates and vertebrates. The postulation of a hox-code (i.e. the simultaneous activity of a certain subset of hox genes) for structures at different metameric levels and which differ from each other in shape suggests a relationship between hox-code and shape, which is reinforced by the possibility of homeotic transformation when the hox-code is changed experimentally. This paper considers the possible nature of such a relationship between the hox genes governing vertebral formation in the upper part of the mouse vertebral column and the shape of the adult vertebrae formed in this region.
同源框（hox）基因在无脊椎动物和脊椎动物体轴的形成中具有相当重要的作用。对于不同体节水平且形状各异的结构，hox编码（即特定hox基因子集的同时活性）的假设表明hox编码与形状之间存在关联，当通过实验改变hox编码时发生同源异型转化的可能性进一步强化了这种关联。本文探讨了控制小鼠脊柱上部椎体形成的hox基因与该区域形成的成年椎体形状之间这种关联的可能本质。
