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

本研究探讨了分节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，都是分节的。多毛纲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，因为在密切相关的物种之间节段形态存在巨大差异。已知控制这些片段差异的一个基因家族是同源盒，或Hox基因。这项研究将比较这些基因在两种不同种类的多毛动物中的分布，以寻找能够解释从简单重复的一系列片段到在同一动物中变化的一系列片段的进化的证据。关于Hox基因在多毛动物中运作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发育模式进化的认识。

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.