| 発表者（所属） |
Hori H, Kurosawa G, Takahashi M, Takamatsu N, Sanaka E, Sumitomo M, Inokuma R, Tsutsumi M, *Asakawa S, *Shimizu N, #Shin-i T, #Kohara Y (Dept. Biol., Nagoya Univ., *Dept. Mol. Biol., Keio Univ., #Cent. Genet. Res. Info., NIG, Japan)
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| 要旨 |
Hox genes play a key role in determination of axial and appendicular skeletal morphology and may be a key component of the evolution of diverse metazoan body forms. It has been widely assumed that differences in their organization and deployment are thought to play a important role in producing variant body patterns in all vertebrate evolution. While mammals have four clusters composed of 39 Hox genes, the number of Hox genes and clusters is diversified in among teleost fish. To test the possibility that Hox organization may have varied since the origin of jawed vertebrates, we have studied the Hox gene clusters in medaka fish. We isolated BAC clones that cover the entire Hox gene loci, and characterized them by shot-gun sequencing. Although it has not been completed, at least 46 Hox genes are encoded in seven clusters in medaka. Our data show that gene organization of the medaka clusters is quite similar to that of Fugu clusters, but there is a little difference from zebrafish clusters, and an unprecedented degree of variation when compared with the present mammalian clusters.
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