Question

What is the genetic toolkit? Why is this so strongly conserved evolutionarily? How does this also constrain evolution? What are the ways that gene expression can change to influence development?

Answer 1

• Genetoolkit
• Some of the conserved gene in organism’s genome, control the overall development of organism. This type of genes are termed as genetoolkit.
• Development of organism means its overall growth till its sexual maturity. Gene toolkit are important for all organism and are highly conserved. Conserved sequences are those sequences which are not altered through selection because this sequences are very important in development. Generally gene tool kit os conserved among the species and among the phyla. These sequences are code for transcriptional factors, receptors and cell adhesion.
• The process of evolution is defined as “continuous change occurs in population for their adaptation in environment through natural selection”. Gene tool kit are highly conserved domain or sequences in genome which can not be changed because it is involve in development process. Hence gene toolkit constrain the evolution process.
• Environment is a main factor that influence the development in two ways: external environment, like temperature and climate condition which altered the gene expression and internal environment, that is the internal system of enzyme activation, hormonal level etc. altered in any of the factor will leads to altered the gene expression hence affect the development process.