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Exon Recombination

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...

Position-effect Variegation

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

Reporter Genes

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
Commonly used reporter...

The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes

The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes

In most organisms, sex is determined by the ratio of X and Y chromosomes. However, in some organisms, such as Drosophila and C.elegans, sex is determined by the ratio of the number of X chromosomes to the number of sets of autosomes. The Y chromosome in Drosophila is active but does not determine sex. It contains genes responsible for the production of sperms in adult flies.
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female Drosophila...

X-linked Traits

X-linked Traits

In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.

X-linked Traits

X-linked Traits

In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Optogenetic Random Mutagenesis Using Histone-miniSOG in C. elegans

Optogenetic Random Mutagenesis Using Histone-miniSOG in C. elegans

Published on: November 14, 2016

Finding the shape-shifter genes.

Michael F Olson

Nature Cell Biology

|July 3, 2013

Summary

Cell shape changes are controlled by intracellular signaling. A large-scale RNA interference screen in fruit flies reveals genes regulating shape transitions, altering frequencies and diversity but not creating new cell morphologies.

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Genetics
Developmental biology

Background:

Cellular morphological plasticity is crucial for biological processes and is regulated by intracellular signaling pathways.
Understanding the genetic basis of cell shape regulation is key to deciphering cellular functions and developmental processes.

Discussion:

A large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen was conducted in Drosophila melanogaster haemocytes to identify genes involved in cell shape regulation.
Quantitative analysis combined with large-scale imaging was employed to assess the impact of gene knockdown on cell morphology.
The study focused on transitions between discrete cell shapes rather than the emergence of entirely novel morphologies.

Key Insights:

Most genes identified in the screen regulate the transitions between existing cell shapes.

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Targeted in Situ Mutagenesis of Histone Genes in Budding Yeast

Targeted in Situ Mutagenesis of Histone Genes in Budding Yeast

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Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Optogenetic Random Mutagenesis Using Histone-miniSOG in C. elegans

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Published on: November 14, 2016

A Deep-sequencing-assisted, Spontaneous Suppressor Screen in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

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Targeted in Situ Mutagenesis of Histone Genes in Budding Yeast

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Loss of function in these genes alters the frequency of specific shapes or reduces overall morphological diversity.

No new cell morphologies were observed upon gene function loss, suggesting a regulatory role in shape dynamics.

Outlook:

Further investigation into the identified genes can elucidate specific signaling pathways governing cell shape transitions.
This research provides a foundation for understanding how genetic perturbations affect cellular morphology in a complex organism.
Future studies could explore the functional consequences of altered shape frequencies in haemocyte behavior and development.