HOMEOBOX COMPLEX
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1570 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented |
A distinctive DNA segment, consisting of some 60 amino acids, which is used by some group of genes to determine the basic body plan of a living organism (adapted from P. CORNING, 1988 b, p. 10).
The homeobox is a very archaic biological feature that has been conserved through the whole of evolution . It is present in the fruit fly (Drosophila) as well as in the human being.
According to CORNING it is “a microscopic example of a combination of labor that is oriented to the production of a combined emergent result”(See also De Robertis et al, 1990)
It is thus, from the systemic viewpoint, also an example of emergence of complexity through synergy.
The human genome research is of course closely related to the practical significance of the Homeobox Complex.