title: The isolation of a Distal-less gene fragment from two molluscs.
abstract: The transcription factor, Distal-less, and its orthologues (e.g. DLL/Dlx) are best known for their roles in proximo-distal and nervous system patterning as well as for their use in inferring the evolution of limbs and other proximo-distal structures. However, evolutionary applications to non-model taxa have primarily employed a polyclonal antibody, and sequence data are generally lacking. We have designed a degenerate PCR primer set specific to the recovery of a Distal-less gene fragment, and present sequence data for two bivalve molluscs, Crassostrea gigas and Nutricola sp. These sequences represent the first Distal-less homologs isolated from lophotrochozoan taxa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organismic Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA. shannond@ucla.edu
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gates
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008974:Mollusca / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C117261:distal-less protein, insect