Abstract
The bodies of insects consist of a tandem array of segments. Homoeotic genes direct cells in different segments to the appropriate developmental pathways. I have discovered the existence of a cluster of homoeotic genes in the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum that are ordered along the second linkage group in a sequence identical to that of the body segments in which they act. The known domain of function of this homoeotic gene cluster (HOM-C) spans approximately 15 segments in the head, thorax and abdomen. The HOM-C contains at least six complementation groups, including elements with apparent homology to the two major groups of homoeotic genes in Drosophila melanogaster, the Antennapedia complex (ANT-C) and the bithorax complex (BX-C).
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Beeman, R. A homoeotic gene cluster in the red flour beetle. Nature 327, 247–249 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/327247a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/327247a0
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