Developmental activities of genomes

Abstract

Development is a central theme in biology since it is during development that genotypic information is translated into phenotype. The process of development not only defines the operationally significant portion of a genome, but, additionally, delineates the functional basis for future evolutionary change. It thus provides an obvious starting point for both a consideration of genome organization and an analysis of how that organization has changed during the course of evolution. In discussing development we need to direct our attention to two major questions:

• Q.l How does the genome operate during development?

• Q.2 How do genes control the formation of a complex organism from a single fertilized egg cell?

‘Some like to understand what they believe in. Others like to believe in what they understand.’ Lec.