Evo Devo
A short form for 'evolutionary development', Evo Devo is a branch of biology that addresses the interface between evolution and development of individuals (ontogeny).
This site will examine genetic regulatory mechanisms that operate during embryologic development, and which have evolved through time to amplify the phenotypic manifestations of genotypic evolution.
"Once seen as distinct, yet complementary disciplines, developmental biology and evolutionary studies have recently merged into an exciting and fruitful relationship. The official union occurred in 1999 when evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo-devo," was granted its own division in the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). It was natural for evolutionary biologists and developmental biologists to find common ground. Evolutionary biologists seek to understand how organisms evolve and change their shape and form. The roots of these changes are found in the developmental mechanisms that control body shape and form. Developmental biologists try to understand how alterations in gene expression and function lead to changes in body shape and pattern. So although SICB only recently validated evo-devo as an independent research area, evo-devo really started over a decade ago when biologists began using an individual organism's developmental gene expression patterns to explain how groups of organisms evolved." Corey S. Goodman, Bridget C. Coughlin The evolution of evo-devo biology PNAS April 25, 2000 Vol. 97, Issue 9, 4424-4425, April 25, 2000 [References]
Genetic expression has traditionally been understood as one gene-one protein. However, it has recently been established that 25,000 human genes can generate about 90,000 proteins. This versatility arises because much genetic expression – production of proteins – is regulated through reversible and transmissable epigenetic mechanisms, which act without an alteration of archival DNA. Alternative splicing, which permits the environment-sensitive, regulated production of multiple polypeptides and proteins from a single gene, increases responsiveness and complexity without a change in the genome. Primate-specific Alu elements, which act as retroposons continue to be replicated and reinserted into the genome, increasing the potential for novel protein combinations.
This site will examine genetic regulatory mechanisms that operate during embryologic development, and which have evolved through time to amplify the phenotypic manifestations of genotypic evolution.
"Once seen as distinct, yet complementary disciplines, developmental biology and evolutionary studies have recently merged into an exciting and fruitful relationship. The official union occurred in 1999 when evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo-devo," was granted its own division in the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). It was natural for evolutionary biologists and developmental biologists to find common ground. Evolutionary biologists seek to understand how organisms evolve and change their shape and form. The roots of these changes are found in the developmental mechanisms that control body shape and form. Developmental biologists try to understand how alterations in gene expression and function lead to changes in body shape and pattern. So although SICB only recently validated evo-devo as an independent research area, evo-devo really started over a decade ago when biologists began using an individual organism's developmental gene expression patterns to explain how groups of organisms evolved." Corey S. Goodman, Bridget C. Coughlin The evolution of evo-devo biology PNAS April 25, 2000 Vol. 97, Issue 9, 4424-4425, April 25, 2000 [References]
Genetic expression has traditionally been understood as one gene-one protein. However, it has recently been established that 25,000 human genes can generate about 90,000 proteins. This versatility arises because much genetic expression – production of proteins – is regulated through reversible and transmissable epigenetic mechanisms, which act without an alteration of archival DNA. Alternative splicing, which permits the environment-sensitive, regulated production of multiple polypeptides and proteins from a single gene, increases responsiveness and complexity without a change in the genome. Primate-specific Alu elements, which act as retroposons continue to be replicated and reinserted into the genome, increasing the potential for novel protein combinations.
posted | 12/31/2007 11:59:00 PM
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