title: Genome-wide analysis of homeobox genes from Mesobuthus martensii reveals Hox gene duplication in scorpions.
abstract: Homeobox genes belong to a large gene group, which encodes the famous DNA-binding homeodomain that plays a key role in development and cellular differentiation during embryogenesis in animals. Here, one hundred forty-nine homeobox genes were identified from the Asian scorpion, Mesobuthus martensii (Chelicerata: Arachnida: Scorpiones: Buthidae) based on our newly assembled genome sequence with approximately 248 × coverage. The identified homeobox genes were categorized into eight classes including 82 families: 67 ANTP class genes, 33 PRD genes, 11 LIM genes, five POU genes, six SINE genes, 14 TALE genes, five CUT genes, two ZF genes and six unclassified genes. Transcriptome data confirmed that more than half of the genes were expressed in adults. The homeobox gene diversity of the eight classes is similar to the previously analyzed Mandibulata arthropods. Interestingly, it is hypothesized that the scorpion M. martensii may have two Hox clusters. The first complete genome-wide analysis of homeobox genes in Chelicerata not only reveals the repertoire of scorpion, arachnid and chelicerate homeobox genes, but also shows some insights into the evolution of arthropod homeobox genes.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Di
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yingliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yawen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Huabin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Yixue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China. Electronic address: lixuan@sibs.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: liwxlab@whu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wenxin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: zjcao@whu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D020440:Gene Duplication; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D016678:Genome; D012605:Scorpions / Q000235:genetics*; D059467:Transcriptome
keywords: Genome-wide analysis; Homeobox genes; Hox cluster; Scorpion