Hox protein interactions: screening and network building.

Understanding the mode of action of Hox proteins requires the identification of molecular and cellular pathways they take part in. This includes to characterize the networks of protein-protein interactions involving Hox proteins. In this chapter we propose a strategy and methods to map Hox interaction networks, from yeast two-hybrid and high-throughput yeast two-hybrid interaction screening to bioinformatic analyses based on the software platform Cytoscape

Evolutionary concepts meet the neck of penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes), towards a "survival strategy" for evo-devo.

12 pagesInternational audienceEvolutionary developmental biology (or evo-devo) is the scientific connectivity that allowed a more comprehensive and practical completeness in the contemporary conceptualisation of evolution. The links between genetics, developmental mechanics and evolution led to a better understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. An analysis of evolutionary concepts such as homology, homeoses, constraints, novelties, modularity, and selection is given through the recurring example of the variations identified in the modular repartition of the cervical vertebrae in extant and fossil penguins. The inclusion of this study about penguins in the evolutionary system also involves a reflection on the current state and the future of evo-devo. Three principles of assessment and method, applicable to many natural and conceptual scales, are introduced to define a "survival strategy" for evo-devo. The above-mentioned principles are intended to strengthen and continue the connectivity induced de facto. These current and future investigation challenges are discussed and connected to three main naturalist names related directly to the conceptualisation of evolution: Charles Darwin, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and Lamarck