Molecular mechanisms of Hox specificity and functional diversity

生物学中的一个基本挑战是理解在双边动物发育过程中形态和功能多样性是如何产生的。HOX基因编码一类重要的广泛表达的转录因子，这些转录因子沿身体前后轴线调节细胞多样性。然而，它们是如何在各种组织中实现其功能特异性的还不是很清楚。在本项目中，我们将利用高效液相色谱与串联质谱仪相结合的方法来阐明果蝇Hox蛋白Ultrabithorax实现其功能特异性的翻译后分子机制和辅助因素。最初的分析将在果蝇细胞培养中进行，随后将调查已确定的胚胎和幼虫机制的意义。

One of the fundamental challenges in biology is to understand how morphological and functional diversity arises during development of bilateral animals. Hox genes encode one important class of broadly expressed transcription factors that regulate cell diversity along the anterior-posterior body axis. However, how they achieve their functional specificity in various tissues is not well understood. In this project, liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry will be applied to elucidate the post-translational molecular mechanisms and co-factors through which Ultrabithorax, a Drosophila Hox protein achieves its functional specificity. Initial analyses will be performed in Drosophila cell culture, followed by investigation of the significance of identified mechanisms in embryos and larvae.