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Hox genes and the diversification of insect and crustacean body plans

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Abstract

CRUSTACEANS and insects share a common origin of segmentation1,2, but the specialization of trunk segments appears to have arisen independently in insects and various crustacean subgroups3,4. Such macroevolutionary changes in body architecture may be investigated by comparative studies of conserved genetic markers5á¤-7. The Hox genes are well suited for this purpose, as they determine positional identity along the body axis in a wide range of animals8á¤-10. Here we examine the expression of four Hox genes in the branchiopod crustacean Artemia frandscana, and compare this with Hox expression patterns from insects. In Artemia the three ᤘtrunkᤙ genes Antp, Ubx and abdA are expressed in largely overlapping domains in the uniform thoracic region, whereas in insects they specify distinct segment types within the thorax and abdomen. Our comparisons suggest a multistep process for the diversification of these Hox gene functions, involving early differences in tissue specificity and the later acquisition of a role in defining segmental differences within the trunk. We propose that the branchiopod thorax may be homologous to the entire pregenital (thoracic and abdominal) region of the insect trunk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wellcome/CRC Institute, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR

    Michalis Averof & Michael Akam

  2. Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Michalis Averof & Michael Akam

Authors
  1. Michalis Averof
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  2. Michael Akam
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Averof, M., Akam, M. Hox genes and the diversification of insect and crustacean body plans. Nature 376, 420–423 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/376420a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/376420a0

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