Ever since the landmark Paper of Ed Lewis in Nature 1978 ,deciphering the Bithorax complex in Fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster ,a number of papers contributed significantly in our understanding hox gene function in Drosophila and other metazoans. Today we take a look at my Favourite 15 Hox articles ( mostly on Drosophila ) that helped understanding function of these master regulators.Remember this list doesn’t include articles related to regulation of Hox genes , but only about discovery and function of Hox genes.
1) No points for guessing correct,The list begins with …

Using the latest laser scanning (LiDAR) and computer modelling methods, Karl Bates and his colleagues from palaeontology and biomechanics research team reconstructed a range of 3D mass models of five specimens of non-avian dinosaur; two near-complete specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex, the most complete specimens of Acrocanthosaurus atokensis and Strutiomimum sedens, and a near-complete skeleton of a sub-adult Edmontosaurus annectens. The mass properties of dinosaurs have been the subject of on-going scientific investigation for over a century, reflecting not only their unique range of body forms but also the fundamental …

Recently Current Biology published an very inspiring interview with the great scientist Eddy De Robertis. This man needs no introduction , but still for some young readers here is short summary of the famous embryologist of the present era . Eddy was born in Cambridge ,grew up in South American country Uruguay and also did his MD in this country. Later he moved to Leloir Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for his Ph.D. in Chemistry . After completing his ph.D he worked with Sir John Gurdon for his post doctoral …

Hox genes are expressed along the anterior-posterior (A/P) body axis in majority of animals , creating a unique A/P code which plays a pivotal role in segment specific morphogenesis. These homeodomain containing transcription factors are evolutionary conserved at the level of structure ,function and organization. This is best exemplified by their presence in clusters in all animals and provide A/P axial positional information during development.It was the discovery of homeobox in Drosophila and subsequent cloning in Xenopus revealed that the Hox genes that control the antero-posterior (A-P) axis were unexpectedly …

If you want to see an ensemble of great minds then “Workshop on HOX and TALE homeoproteins in Development and Disease” in Carmona (Seville) , should be the place for you from 27-30, May 2009 .This work shop is being conducted by Organizers Fernando Casares (CABD, Seville),Miguel Torres (CNIC, Madrid) and Moisés Mallo (IGC, Oeiras) includes some very popular names from the field of Hox . Robb Krumlauf, Richard mann ,Yacine Graba , Adi Salzberg and many other researchers will be presenting their work. ( For the entire list of …

In their ongoing study of the processes involved in embryonic development in fruit flies, researchers at WPI’s Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park have identified the function of a protein that sticks out of the embryonic cell membrane like an antenna and processes signals needed for the flies’ wings to develop properly.
After fertilization, cells must send and receive signals that instruct them how and when to specialize and build all the tissues that comprise the adult organism. This requires a complex system of communication, both within each cell …

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve true flapping kind of flight, a complex and physiologically more demanding activity .Researchers always suspected that these extinct reptiles sustained flight through flapping, based on fossil evidence from the wings, but there was little understanding on how the energy demands for the activity were met. A new study published February 17 in the journal PLoS One by researchers from Ohio University, College of the Holy Cross and the University of Leicester explains how balloon-like air sacs, which extended from the lungs to inside …