21 February 2002

Evolutionary biology: Hox genes drive insect body plan

(Photo: Jens Rydell & Ingela Danielsson)

A major evolutionary transition occurred 400 million years ago, when six-legged insects diverged from crustacean-like arthropod ancestors with multiple limbs. This week, two studies focus on how Hox gene mutations influenced this change in body plan. Studies of Ultrabithorax proteins of insects, crustaceans (such as the Artemia franciscana, on the cover, nuclear stain), and an Onychophoran indicate that just a few changes in DNA were sufficient to allow insect Ultrabithorax to repress limbs.

Evolutionary biology: How insects lose their limbs
MIKE LEVINE
Evolution has produced marvellous variety in the arthropods, and in their various appendages. The evolutionary processes are themselves proving highly diverse.
Nature 415, 848–849 (21 February 2002)
| Full Text | PDF (469 K) |

Evolution of a transcriptional repression domain in an insect Hox protein
RON GALANT AND SEAN B. CARROLL
Nature 415, 910–913 (2002); advance online publication, 6 February 2002 (DOI: 10.1038/nature717)
| First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (210 K) |

Hox protein mutation and macroevolution of the insect body plan
MATTHEW RONSHAUGEN, NADINE MCGINNIS & WILLIAM MCGINNIS
Nature 415, 914–917 (2002); advance online publication, 6 February 2002 (DOI: 10.1038/nature716)
| First Paragraph | Full Text | PDF (313 K) |Supplementary Information |