Abstract

Homeotic gene complexes determine the anterior-posterior body axis in animals. The expression pattern and function of hox genes along this axis is colinear with the order in which they are organized in the complex. This 'chromosomal organization and functional correspondence' is conserved in all bilaterians investigated. Although the molecular basis of this 'colinearity' in not yet understood, it is possible that there are control elements within or in the proximity of these complexes that establish and maintain the expression patterns of hox genes in a coordinated fashion. We report here an unprecedented conservation of non-coding DNA sequences adjacent to the HoxD complex of vertebrates. Stretches of hundreds of base pairs in a 7 kb region, upstream of HoxD complex, show 100% conservation from fish to human. Using primers designed from these sequences of human HoxD complex, we amplified the corresponding regions from different vertebrates, including mammals, aves, reptiles, amphibians and pisces. Such a high degree of conservation, where no variation was allowed during ~500 million years of evolution, suggests critical function for these sequences in the regulation of the HoxD complex. Furthermore, these sequences provide a molecular handle to gain insight into the mechanism of regulation of this complex.