Engrailed is a gene involved in many aspects of multicellular development. First known for its role in arthropod embryological development, working in consort with the Hox genes, Engrailed has been found to be important in other areas of development. Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " An embryo (from Greek:, plural, lit "that which grows" from en- "in" + bryein "to swell be full" is a multicellular Evolutionary developmental biology ( evolution of development or informally evo-devo) is a field of Biology that compares the developmental processes Homeotic genes specify the anterior-posterior axis and segment identity It has also been found to direct development in other taxa, for example: humans.
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Protein
The gene Engrailed (En) codes for the homeodomain-containing transcription factor protein engrailed. The homeodomain fold is a Protein Structural domain that binds DNA or RNA and is thus commonly found in Transcription factors The Homologous engrailed proteins are found in a diversity of organisms.
Arthropods
In the model organism Drosophila melanogaster Engrailed acts as a segment-polarity gene in early embryonic development. Drosophila melanogaster (from the Greek for black-bellied dew-lover) is a two-winged insect that belongs to the Diptera, the order Drosophila has long been a favorite model system for geneticists and developmental biologists studying Embryogenesis. It is initially expressed in stage 10-11 of development in 14 isolated bands of cells along the embryo's anterior-posterior axis. The cells expressing Engrailed define the posterior most region of each parasegment. Once proper segments form, Engrailed expressing cells are found in the anterior most region of each segment. [1]
Engrailed homologs have also been found in many other arthropod species including: grasshoppers, milkweed bugs, centipedes, beetles, and others.
Neurological Development
Engrailed plays a number of crucial roles in brain development across many species. Some of these include determining the hindbrain/midbrain border and aiding in neuronal axon guidance. [2]
References
- ^ Sanson, B. (2001). Generating patterns from fields of cells. EMBO reports 2(12):1083-1088
- ^ Morgan, R (2006). Engrailed: Complexity and economy of a multi-functional transcription factor. FEBS Letters 580(11):2531-3
Sanson, B. (2001). Generating patterns from fields of cells. EMBO reports 2(12):1083-1088
Morgan, R (2006). Engrailed: Complexity and economy of a multi-functional transcription factor. FEBS Letters 580(11):2531-3