分化, 遺傳子의 選擇的 發見 그리고 homeobox

Differentiation, selective gene expression, and homeobox

Fertilized egg, by successive divisions, develops into adult, forming various tissues and organs which are morphologically, physiologically, and functionally different. Phenotypic trait is the end product of gene expression, and differentiation of tissue and organ is the result of selective gene expression. In the last decade or so the differentiation along with the regulation of gene expression has been the prime subject in the field of developmental biology, and molecular elucidation of the genetic mechanism of differential gene expression will continue to be intensively studied in the coming decades. Since the discovery of the presence of 180bp DNA sequence named homeobox in the Drosophila melanogaster’s homeotic gene complexes in 1984, the homeobox madness has prevailed in modern biology. Present paper has dealt with the regulatory mechanism of gene expression and the identity of homeobox. Some classical problems on the differentiation have also been briefly reviewed.