Evolution of cis-regulatory sequence and function in Diptera

Cis-regulatory sequences direct patterns of gene expression essential for development and physiology. Evolutionary changes in these sequences contribute to phenotypic divergence. Despite their importance, cis-regulatory regions remain one of the most enigmatic features of the genome. Patterns of seq...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heredity 2006-09, Vol.97 (3), p.139-147
Main Author: Wittkopp, P.J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Comparative studies
Computational Biology
Conserved Sequence
Cytogenetics
Diptera
Diptera - genetics
Ecology
enhancer elements
Enhancer Elements, Genetic - genetics
Enhancer Elements, Genetic - physiology
Evolution
Evolution, Molecular
Evolutionary Biology
Gene expression
gene expression regulation
Genomics
Human Genetics
insect genetics
Insects
literature reviews
Physiology
Plant Genetics and Genomics
regulatory sequences
Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid - genetics
Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid - physiology
short-review
transcription (genetics)
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cis-regulatory sequences direct patterns of gene expression essential for development and physiology. Evolutionary changes in these sequences contribute to phenotypic divergence. Despite their importance, cis-regulatory regions remain one of the most enigmatic features of the genome. Patterns of sequence evolution can be used to identify cis-regulatory elements, but the power of this approach depends upon the relationship between sequence and function. Comparative studies of gene regulation among Diptera reveal that divergent sequences can underlie conserved expression, and that expression differences can evolve despite largely similar sequences. This complex structure-function relationship is the primary impediment for computational identification and interpretation of cis-regulatory sequences. Biochemical characterization and in vivo assays of cis-regulatory sequences on a genomic-scale will relieve this barrier.
ISSN:0018-067X
1365-2540
DOI:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800869