Soumitra Pal

Evolution of MAF and OTX families during the emergence and stabilization of rod photoreceptors across Metazoans

Abstract A central question in evolutionary developmental biology is how gene regulatory networks are rewired to generate new cell types. In mammals, rod specification and maintenance depend on the MAF-family transcription factor NRL; yet, non-mammalian vertebrates also possess NRL-independent rods, suggesting that alt...