Hox gene
- noun
- /hoʊks dʒiːn/
- Specialized
:
gen Hox
- The Hox gene plays a crucial role in determining the body structure of developing embryos.
Examples
-
In mice, homologues of the Drosophila homeotics are called Hox genes (for "homeobox containing").
Academic text (1992) -
In a striking difference from Drosophila, the Hox genes of mice exist in four linear arrays on four separate chromosomes.
Academic text (1992) -
The Hox genes bear confusing names related to the order of their discovery, rather than their sequence on the chromosome.
Academic text (1992) -
Many of the Hox genes have been located, ordered by position on chromosomes, and at least partly sequenced.
Academic text (1992) -
Hox genes act in synergy and in different temporal patterns, and no single function can be ascribed to a single gene.
Academic text (2008) -
Our patient's strong family history is suggestive of a genetic abnormality, possibly the result of an aberration in the combinatorial expression pattern of the Hox genes.
Academic text (2008) -
Reports surfaced just as I was writing this column that Hox genes may also be involved in the specification of differentiated structures, from arm bones to fingers, in vertebrate limbs.
Academic text (1992) -
The fundamental style of operation is identical: products of posterior Hox genes accumulate in posterior segments; the more anterior the gene, the more forward on the body its domain of expression.
Academic text (1992) -
Possibly the best example of the product of these two genome duplications is the four HOX gene clusters that are found in many vertebrate genomes (Kappen et al. 1989).
Academic text (2006) -
Mutations in the Hox gene can lead to significant changes in the shape and organization of an organism's body.
Synonyms
A gene that controls how body parts form in an embryo
A gene that has a homeobox part and controls how an embryo's body forms
Surface Forms
Morphology
Hox + gene
Hox is a specialized proper name/abbreviation with no transparent lexical meaning for an average B1 learner, and 'gene' only provides the generic category. The specific function ('controls body plan and development') is technical and not derivable from the constituents, so the overall meaning is unpredictable without prior subject-specific knowledge.
Etymology
Hox gene: The name comes from the older word homeobox, so think of Hox as the 'place' part and gene as a small instruction inside a cell. These genes act like tiny instruction boxes that tell the body where to make arms, legs, or eyes, so they control an animal's 'body plan'.
