Briefly describe and compare the properties of Hox genes in Drosophila and mammals with regard to the following characteristics, indicating both similarities and differences. Complete the following table comparing the properties of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Briefly describe the phenenomenon of lateral inhibition in the determination of cell fates. Briefly describe one example of lateral inhibition, naming any genes that are known to be involved and indicating their functions. XO individuals are somatically male.
Sex determination depends upon genes that act downstream of the primary signal.
A Y chromosome is essential for male fertility. Your biotech startup company, Infertiligen, has obtained a mouse strain carrying a recessive autosomal mutation that causes XY animals to develop as infertile females. To positionally clone the gene, you map it to a small interval for which sequence information is already available from the mouse genome project. You make PCR primers for both A and B genes while you ponder what to do next. You suspect the product of this gene could be useful clinically and a bonanza for your struggling startup.