PUBLICATION

Zebrafish hox clusters and vertebrate genome evolution

Authors
Amores, A., Force, A., Yan, Y.-L. Joly, L., Amemiya, C., Fritz, A., Ho, R., Langeland, J., Prince, V., Wang, Y.-L., Westerfield, M., Ekker, M., and Postlethwait, J.H.
ID
ZDB-PUB-981208-18
Date
1998
Source
Science (New York, N.Y.)   282: 1711-1714 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Amemiya, Chris, Amores, Angel, Ekker, Marc, Force, Allan G., Fritz, Andreas, Ho, Robert K., Joly, Lucille, Langeland, Jim, Postlethwait, John H., Prince, Victoria E., Westerfield, Monte, Yan, Yi-Lin
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes/genetics
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Gene Duplication
  • Genes, Homeobox*
  • Genome*
  • Models, Genetic
  • Multigene Family*
  • Phylogeny
  • Pseudogenes
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
PubMed
9831563 Full text @ Science
Abstract
HOX genes specify cell fate in the anterior-posterior axis of animal embryos. Invertebrate chordates have one HOX cluster, but mammals have four, suggesting that cluster duplication facilitated the evolution of vertebrate body plans. This report shows that zebrafish have seven hox clusters. Phylogenetic analysis and genetic mapping suggest a chromosome doubling event, probably by whole genome duplication, after the divergence of ray-finned and lobe-finned fishes but before the teleost radiation. Thus, teleosts, the most species-rich group of vertebrates, appear to have more copies of these developmental regulatory genes than do mammals, despite less complexity in the anterior-posterior axis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping