Regulatory Architecture and Evolution of Hox CRMs

Regulatory architecture and evolution of cis-regulatory modules at homeotic genes in Drosophila

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In Drosophila, cellular identity along the anterio-posterior axis falls under the control of two homeotic (Hox) gene complexes. The 330 kb bithorax complex (BX-C), which regulates cell type differentiation during development in the posterior thorax and abdomen, is comprised of three Hox genes: Ultrabithorax (Ubx), abdominal-A (abd-A), and Abdominal-B (Abd-B). The expression of each of these genes is in turn controlled through interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and a number of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in the neighboring intergenic regions. We are investigating how the sequence architecture of TF binding sites mediates the functional activity of these CRMs using both computational and molecular genetic experimental approaches.