homeobox

American  

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

noun

plural

homeoboxes

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.

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

• homeobox-like adjective

Example Sentences

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

These homeobox domains were aligned with 128 homeobox genes of Branchiostoma floridae using ClustalW2, then gaps and unaligned regions were manually removed.

From Nature • Nov. 17, 2015

The clusters of homeobox genes on scaffolds in Saccoglossus and Ptychodera were identified and drawn at positions around the tree.

From Nature • Nov. 17, 2015