AUTHOR=Khor Jian Ming , Ettensohn Charles A. 

TITLE=Transcription Factors of the Alx Family: Evolutionarily Conserved Regulators of Deuterostome Skeletogenesis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2020.569314

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2020.569314

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>Members of the <italic>alx</italic> gene family encode transcription factors that contain a highly conserved Paired-class, DNA-binding homeodomain, and a C-terminal OAR/Aristaless domain. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic studies have revealed complex patterns of <italic>alx</italic> gene duplications during deuterostome evolution. Remarkably, <italic>alx</italic> genes have been implicated in skeletogenesis in both echinoderms and vertebrates. In this review, we provide an overview of current knowledge concerning <italic>alx</italic> genes in deuterostomes. We highlight their evolutionarily conserved role in skeletogenesis and draw parallels and distinctions between the skeletogenic gene regulatory circuitries of diverse groups within the superphylum.</p>