Evolution of the HOXB6 intergenic region: motif conservation at the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) enhancer element

This study reports the results of a comparative sequencing study in higher primates, focusing on the intergenic region located between HOXB6 and HOXB7. We have examined an 832 bp. region, encompassing a putative Lateral Plate Mesoderm (LPM) enhancer element in a variety of anthropoid apes. The interspecific comparisons reveal extensive substitutions occurring within this region, with a marked bias in favor of C-->T transitions within the enhancer element. The pattern of these substitutions suggests that the LPM enhancer region is subject to specific sequence and compositional constraints that are only revealed through comparative sequencing. These constraints produce an enhancer signature, the CpG microisland, which may be useful in identifying additional regulatory elements located within the HOX complexes. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 285:170-176, 1999.