Dissertation Research: Homeobox Gene Expression and SegmentSegmental Differentiation in Polychaetes.

9623453马丁代尔这项研究探索了节段化动物形态进化背后的分子机制。许多动物，包括脊椎动物和节肢动物，都是分段的。由于近缘物种在节段形态上的巨大差异，多毛类海洋环节动物是研究相似节段如何在进化过程中变得不同的理想模式系统。已知的控制这些节段差异的基因家族是同源盒基因，或HOX基因。这项研究将比较这些基因在两种不同的多毛类动物中的部署，以寻找变化的证据，以解释从简单的重复片段序列到同一动物内部不同的一系列片段的进化。关于HOX基因在多毛类中的作用方式的信息将增加我们对HOX基因及其调控如何影响主要动物群体内部和之间的发育模式进化的了解。

9623453 Martindale This research explores the molecular mechanisms behind the evolution of form in segmented animals. Many animals, including vertebrates and arthropods, are segmented. The polychaete marine annelids are an ideal model system to study how similar segments become different through evolution because of the great diversity in segmental morphology between closely related species. A family of genes known to control these segmental differences are the homeobox, or Hox, genes. This study will compare the deployment of these genes in two different species of polychaetes to look for evidence of changes that can explain the evolution from a simple repeated series of segments to series of segments that vary within the same animal. Information on the way the Hox genes operate in the polychaetes will add to our knowledge of how the Hox genes, and their regulation, have affected the evolution of developmental patterns within and between the major animal groups.