Why we have (only) five fingers per hand: hox genes and the evolution of paired limbs - PubMed (original) (raw)
Review
. 1992 Oct;116(2):289-96.
doi: 10.1242/dev.116.2.289.
Affiliations
- PMID: 1363084
- DOI: 10.1242/dev.116.2.289
Review
Why we have (only) five fingers per hand: hox genes and the evolution of paired limbs
C J Tabin. Development. 1992 Oct.
Abstract
Limb development has long been a model system for studying vertebrate pattern formation. The advent of molecular biology has allowed the identification of some of the key genes that regulate limb morphogenesis. One important class of such genes are the homeobox-containing, or Hox genes. Understanding of the roles these genes play in development additionally provides insights into the evolution of limb pattern. Hox gene expression patterns divide the embryonic limb bud into five sectors along the anterior/posterior axis. The expression of specific Hox genes in each domain specifies the developmental fate of that region. Because there are only five distinct Hox-encoded domains across the limb bud there is a developmental constraint prohibiting the evolution of more than five different types of digits. The expression patterns of Hox genes in modern embryonic limb buds also gives clues to the shape of the ancestral fin field from which the limb evolved, hence elucidating the evolution of the tetrapod limb.
Similar articles
- Analysis of Hox gene expression in the chick limb bud.
Nelson CE, Morgan BA, Burke AC, Laufer E, DiMambro E, Murtaugh LC, Gonzales E, Tessarollo L, Parada LF, Tabin C. Nelson CE, et al. Development. 1996 May;122(5):1449-66. doi: 10.1242/dev.122.5.1449. Development. 1996. PMID: 8625833 - Hox genes and growth: early and late roles in limb bud morphogenesis.
Morgan BA, Tabin C. Morgan BA, et al. Dev Suppl. 1994:181-6. Dev Suppl. 1994. PMID: 7579519 - Hox gene expression in teleost fins and the origin of vertebrate digits.
Sordino P, van der Hoeven F, Duboule D. Sordino P, et al. Nature. 1995 Jun 22;375(6533):678-81. doi: 10.1038/375678a0. Nature. 1995. PMID: 7791900 - Insights on the role of hox genes in the emergence of the pentadactyl ground state.
Kherdjemil Y, Kmita M. Kherdjemil Y, et al. Genesis. 2018 Jan;56(1). doi: 10.1002/dvg.23046. Epub 2017 Aug 24. Genesis. 2018. PMID: 28836344 Review. - The vertebrate limb: a model system to study the Hox/HOM gene network during development and evolution.
Duboule D. Duboule D. Bioessays. 1992 Jun;14(6):375-84. doi: 10.1002/bies.950140606. Bioessays. 1992. PMID: 1354436 Review.
Cited by
- Fossil evidence for a pharyngeal origin of the vertebrate pectoral girdle.
Brazeau MD, Castiello M, El Fassi El Fehri A, Hamilton L, Ivanov AO, Johanson Z, Friedman M. Brazeau MD, et al. Nature. 2023 Nov;623(7987):550-554. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06702-4. Epub 2023 Nov 1. Nature. 2023. PMID: 37914937 Free PMC article. - Theories, laws, and models in evo-devo.
Richardson MK. Richardson MK. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol. 2022 Jan;338(1-2):36-61. doi: 10.1002/jez.b.23096. Epub 2021 Sep 27. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol. 2022. PMID: 34570438 Free PMC article. Review. - Evidence against tetrapod-wide digit identities and for a limited frame shift in bird wings.
Stewart TA, Liang C, Cotney JL, Noonan JP, Sanger TJ, Wagner GP. Stewart TA, et al. Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 19;10(1):3244. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11215-8. Nat Commun. 2019. PMID: 31324809 Free PMC article. - Retinoic acid in the anteroposterior patterning of the zebrafish trunk.
Marsh-Armstrong N, McCaffery P, Hyatt G, Alonso L, Dowling JE, Gilbert W, Dräger UC. Marsh-Armstrong N, et al. Rouxs Arch Dev Biol. 1995 Nov;205(3-4):103-113. doi: 10.1007/BF00357756. Rouxs Arch Dev Biol. 1995. PMID: 28306071 - Evidence for an amphibian sixth digit.
Hayashi S, Kobayashi T, Yano T, Kamiyama N, Egawa S, Seki R, Takizawa K, Okabe M, Yokoyama H, Tamura K. Hayashi S, et al. Zoological Lett. 2015 Jun 15;1:17. doi: 10.1186/s40851-015-0019-y. eCollection 2015. Zoological Lett. 2015. PMID: 26605062 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Molecular Biology Databases
Research Materials