Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

An Allele-specific Gene Expression Assay to Test the Functional Basis of Genetic Associations
Published on: November 3, 2010
Homeotic transformation of rhombomere identity after localized Hoxb1 misexpression
E Bell1, R J Wingate, A Lumsden
1Department of Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK.
Abstract:
Segmentation of the hindbrain and branchial region is a conserved feature of head development, involving the nested expression of Hox genes. Although it is presumed that vertebrate Hox genes function as segment identifiers, responsible for mediating registration between elements of diverse embryonic origin, this assumption has remained untested. To assess this, retroviral misexpression was combined with orthotopic grafting in chick embryos to generate a mismatch in Hox coding between a specific rhombomere and its corresponding branchial arch. Rhombomere-restricted misexpression of a single gene, Hoxb1, resulted in the homeotic transformation of the rhombomere, revealed by reorganization of motor axon projections.
Related Concept Videos
Mismatch Repair
Gene Conversion
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Gene Conversion

