第1118回生物科学セミナー

Embryos, genes and evolution: a tale of moths and mammals

Professor Peter W. H. Holland(Department of Zoology, University of Oxford)

2016年11月24日(木)    15:00-16:00  理学部2号館 講堂   

For centuries, scientists have tried to understand the diversity of life. We now realise that to understand animal diversity, we must bring together knowledge of mutation, developmental biology and evolutionary biology. One common type of genetic mutation is gene duplication: when one gene is accidentally copied to become two genes. Subsequently, one (or both) genes can change in sequence, often becoming very different from the original sequence. I will show examples where gene duplication has generated new types of genes, which were then recruited by evolution for new functions in development of the egg and embryo. In moths and mammals, these new genes control biological functions critical for the evolutionary success of these animal groups.