Hunchback (gene)

Hunchback is a maternal effect and zygotic gene expressed in the embryos of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

This is possible because Hunchback is a transcription factor protein that binds to genes’ regulatory regions, changing RNA expression levels.

The first step is establishing the anterior and posterior regions, which later give rise to the respective head and abdomen.

[11] Here, Hunchback expression is proportional to the concentration of Tailless and Huckebein proteins available to bind to the regulatory region.

[23] Ikaros family genes have also been implicated as an indicator for chronic graft-versus-host disease, a condition where immune cells attack transplanted tissue.