Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025

A Rapid In Vivo Bioassay for Developmentally Active Enhancers
Evolution and expansion of the RUNX2 QA repeat corresponds with the emergence of vertebrate complexity
Axel H Newton1,2, Andrew J Pask3
1Biosciences 4, The School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia. axel.newton@monash.edu.
Abstract:
Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is critical for the development of the vertebrate bony skeleton. Unlike other RUNX family members, RUNX2 possesses a variable poly-glutamine, poly-alanine (QA) repeat domain. Natural variation within this repeat is able to alter the transactivation potential of RUNX2, acting as an evolutionary 'tuning knob' suggested to influence mammalian skull shape. However, the broader role of the RUNX2 QA repeat throughout vertebrate evolution is unknown. In this perspective, we examine the role of the RUNX2 QA repeat during skeletal development and discuss how its emergence and expansion may have facilitated the evolution of morphological novelty in vertebrates.
More Related Videos
12:59Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
Published on: February 28, 2021
07:34The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Gene Duplication and Divergence
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Convergent Evolution
The Evidence for Evolution
Eukaryotic Evolution
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...