Grant: Operating Grant

Between 3 to 5% of births are affected by congenital malformations and 20 to 30% of infant deaths are due to genetic disorders. A large number of genetic disorders have been linked to dysfunction of genes from the Hox family but the molecular mechanisms by which these genes act remains poorly understood. The objective of this proposal is to improve our understanding of how this gene family controls organ growth and development. To achieve this goal, we will primarily focus our work on studying the function of Hox genes in mice developing limbs, which has proven a valuable model to study vertebrate development for its accessibility to genetic manipulations. Improving our knowledge of the molecular network linked to Hox function will help in unraveling the molecular causes of Hox associated disorders.