REGULATION AND EVOLUTION OF MULTIGENE FAMILIES

近年来，多基因家族被牢固地确立为 高等真核生物基因组中普遍而重要的特征。 基因家族尤其重要，因为它们通常编码复合体 分化的细胞表型的各个方面，可能在 发育和生理调节。基因家族也是 重要的是因为它们揭示了使真核生物多样化的过程 基因组，并相对保持某些遗传特征 不变量--包括可能涉及到的序列元素 发育调控。 我们正在研究结构基因家族和 控制其发育表达的调控元件，用作 蚕蛾绒毛膜多基因家族模式系统。我们想要记录 这些家族中的结构基因是如何通过本地化而进化的 固定突变(替换和删除/复制)以及 通过基因转换。此外，我们想要比较和对比 绒毛膜结构基因的进化 可能参与基因调控的非转录序列 表情。这里的基本方法是准确地定义家庭， 并将其与这些基因的序列特征和它们的 立刻包抄DNA。最后，我们希望继续我们对 复杂绒毛膜结构的形态发生，通过利用 在进化过程中建立的变异以及研究一些新的 在家蚕中发现了绒毛膜突变体。

In recent years, it has been firmly established that multigene families are a ubiquitous and important feature in the genomes of higher eucaryotes. Gene families are especially important since they often encode complex aspects of differentiated cell phenotypes and may play key roles in developmental and physiological regulation. Gene families are also important because they reveal the processes that both diversify eucaryotic genomes and maintain certain genetic features relatively invariant--including sequence elements that may be involved in developmental regulation. We are studying that evolution of structural gene families and of the regulatory elements controlling their developmental expression, using as a model system the silkmoth chorion multigene families. We want to document how the structural genes in these families have evolved, by localized fixation of mutations (subtitutions and deletions/duplications) as well as by gene conversion. Furthermore, we want to compare and contrast the evolution of the structural chorion genes with the evolution of non-transcribed sequences that may be involved in the regulation of gene expression. The fundamental approach here is to define precisely families, and to relate it to the sequence features of these genes and their immediately flanking DNA. Finally, we wish to pursue our analysis of the morphogenesis of the complex chorion structure, by taking advantage of variations established during evolution as well as studying some newly discovered chorion mutants in Bombyx mori.