Final Activity Report Summary - INTCHEM (Non-covalent interactions in Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Hox genes ensure the proper development of the embryo by organising the embryonic structures along the antero-posterior axis. Given their crucial role, mutations of these genes often result in developmental anomalies or embryonic death. In mammals, there are four clusters of Hox genes (A, B, C and D), which are highly related to each other in sequence and organisation but which function in different aspects of development. Within each cluster there is a correspondence between the linear order of the genes on the chromosome and their sequence of activation in the developing embryo - the colinearity rule. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this exquisite gene regulation are poorly understood.