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Physical Laws Shape Up HOX Gene Collinearity.
1Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', 153 10 Athens, Greece.
Journal of Developmental Biology
|June 2, 2021
Summary
Hox gene collinearity (HGC), crucial for animal development, links DNA gene order to embryonic tissue organization. A biophysical model explains HGC, potentially unifying axial and circular body plan development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Hox gene collinearity (HGC) describes the ordered arrangement of Hox genes on DNA and their sequential expression along the anterior-posterior axis during embryogenesis.
- Spatial collinearity (SC) and temporal collinearity (TC) are key aspects of HGC, though the existence of TC has been questioned.
- HGC is a multi-scalar property, connecting genomic organization to macroscopic embryonic development across diverse animal phyla.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biophysical mechanisms underlying Hox gene collinearity (HGC).
- To evaluate a biophysical model (BM) proposed to explain HGC over the past two decades.
- To explore the applicability of Noether's theory (NT) to understand HGC in animals with varying body symmetries.
Main Methods:
- Review and analysis of existing experimental data supporting the biophysical model (BM) of HGC.
- Application of Noether's theory (NT), a principle of symmetry in physics, to biological systems.
- Comparative analysis of HGC in animals with different developmental axes (e.g., anterior-posterior and circular).
Main Results:
- Experimental evidence supports a biophysical model where physical forces orchestrate Hox gene transcription.
- The biophysical model provides a plausible mechanism for the observed spatial collinearity (SC) of Hox genes.
- Noether's theory (NT) offers a potential framework for explaining HGC in organisms with diverse body symmetries, including circular ones.
Conclusions:
- The biophysical model offers a robust explanation for Hox gene collinearity (HGC), integrating genomic and developmental processes.
- Physical forces play a significant role in regulating Hox gene expression and collinearity.
- Symmetry principles, as described by Noether's theory (NT), may provide a unifying explanation for HGC across different animal body plans.
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