Bonus points to the Fly People who can identify the mutation(s) responsible for the oddly shaped pseudopupil in the depicted fly’s eye.

#Drosophila
#HoxGenes
#HomeoticGenes
#DevelopmentalBiology
#Antennapedia

What Are Hox Genes and How Do They Work? Hox genes are a conserved family of transcription factors that assign positional identity along an animal’s head to tail axis. They work by switching sets of target genes on or off in precise regions of the embryo, a pattern that often mirrors their order in the genome, which tells each segment what structures to build. When a Hox gene is activated in the wrong place or time, one body part can be transformed into another, such as fruit flies growing legs where antennae normally develop.

How does an embryo know head from tail? Hox genes act like a body's GPS, switching on the right parts in the right places. Which example blows your mind most? #Antennapedia #DevelopmentalBiology #Drosophila #HomeoticGenes #HoxGenes