homeobox

American  

[hoh-mee-oh-bahks] / ˈhoʊ mi oʊˌbɑks /

noun

homeoboxes plural

1. Genetics. a short DNA sequence showing minimal mutation over the course of phylogeny and present in the genes of many eukaryotic organisms, especially in those genes responsible for tissue differentiation and the development of major structures.

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homeobox Scientific  

/ hō′mē-ə-bŏks′ /

1. Any of various DNA sequences containing about 180 nucleotides that encode for corresponding sequences of usually 60 amino acids, called homeodomains, found in proteins that bind DNA and regulate gene transcription. Genes containing homeoboxes are found in all eukaryotic genomes and are associated with cell differentiation and bodily segmentation during embryologic development.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• homeobox-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• homeoboxes
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

homeobox

The study also recasts homeobox gene TPRX2 thatencodes DNA-binding proteins.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2024

In flies, homeobox genes known as Hox genes are located side by side in a single cluster.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2018

Homeotic genes share a very similar 180-base DNA sequence, the homeobox.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2018

Ten more clusters were found containing two homeobox genes each.

From Nature ● Nov. 17, 2015

In all cases, scientists have found, in charge of establishing this axis is a special set of genes, especially the so-called homeotic homeobox, or HOX, genes.

From Time Magazine Archive