The evolution and diversity of Polycomb in the Metazoa

Frank, Dana (2021) The evolution and diversity of Polycomb in the Metazoa. Master's Thesis / Essay, Biology.

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Abstract

With their ability to mediate transcriptional memory, few genes have gained the same eminent status as the evolutionarily conserved members of the Polycomb group. Best known for silencing HOX genes along the anterior-posterior axis in Drosophila, these developmental regulators were thought to constitute a higher level of regulatory complexity exclusive to bilaterians. However, recent studies of Polycomb have extended our perspectives on its evolutionary history, and with the knowledge that Polycomb is present in nearly every animal phylum, we are beginning to create a more complete picture of its structural diversity. Here, I examine the consequences of these new findings in the light of previous interpretations of developmental regulation in bilaterian and non-bilaterian animals. Specifically, I illustrate that most subunits from Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 and Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 underwent a multifaceted evolutionary history, rich with duplication and deletion events, causing them to differ considerably among animal lineages. I also suggest that Polycomb group (PcG) gene expansion and diversification occurred earlier in the metazoan lineages than previously assumed. I further stipulate that in order to unravel the evolutionary track of PcG, it is imperative to examine taxa in basal positions of the animal lineage, which for the most part have been heavily underrepresented in phylogenomic and functional studies in the context of developmental genes.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay)
Supervisor name:	Wertheim, B.
Degree programme:	Biology
Thesis type:	Master's Thesis / Essay
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2021 15:07
Last Modified:	13 Dec 2021 15:07
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/26348

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