What is the role of homeotic genes in an organism?

1 Answer
Jun 8, 2017

Homeotic genes regulate the developement of anatomical structures in various organisms such as insects , mammals, and plants.

Explanation:

They control the pattern of body formation during early embryonic developement of organisms.

They are also known as selector genes and they select the identity of entire segments or structures in the bodies of developing organisms. They are required during the development of plants and animals to control the differentiation of repeated homologous structure, such as vertebrae or flowers. This regulation is done via the programming of various transcription factors by the homeotic genes. These factors affect genes through regulatory genetic pathways.

Most animal homeotic genes encode transcription factor proteins that contain a region called the homeodomain and are called HOX genes. If a mutation occurs in the homeo box of any of the homeotic genes, an organism will not develop correctly.