You are an evolutionary biologist analyzing the evolution of embryo development in different species. You identify an important gene that controls the placement of body regions in fruit flies, mice, and chickens, and you find the gene is exactly the same
in each species. You then determine it is the enhancer sequence of the genes that is different in each species. Why would such very different species have the same gene sequence but a different enhancer sequence?
What will be an ideal response?
The gene would have to be of primary importance for the basic developmental patterns of each species, so it has gone unchanged during the course of evolution. A mutation in a regulatory region can affect how the gene is expressed, which can lead to significant differences among species. But a mutation in the gene itself would be more likely to produce a defective protein, whereas mutations in regulatory sequences can affect the evolution of organisms without altering the function of the protein.
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If the genetic code were read in groups of two bases, how many different codons would be possible? (Enter your answer as a numeral, not a word; e.g., enter 5, not "five.")
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).