In evolutionary developmental biology

Evolutionary developmental biology

Evolutionary developmental biology is a field of biology that compares the developmental processes of different organisms to determine the ancestral relationship between them, and to discover how developmental processes evolved...

, the concept of deep homology is used to describe cases where growth

Cell growth

The term cell growth is used in the contexts of cell development and cell division . When used in the context of cell division, it refers to growth of cell populations, where one cell grows and divides to produce two "daughter cells"...

 and differentiation

Cellular differentiation

In developmental biology, cellular differentiation is the process by which a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type. Differentiation occurs numerous times during the development of a multicellular organism as the organism changes from a simple zygote to a complex system of...

 processes are governed by genetic mechanisms that are homologous and deeply conserved

Conserved sequence

In biology, conserved sequences are similar or identical sequences that occur within nucleic acid sequences , protein sequences, protein structures or polymeric carbohydrates across species or within different molecules produced by the same organism...

 across a wide range of species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

.

Textbook examples common to metazoa include the homeotic gene

Homeotic gene

Hox genes are a group of related genes that determine the basic structure and orientation of an organism.Hox genes are critical for the proper placement of segment structures of animals during early embryonic development Hox genes are a group of related genes that determine the basic structure and...

s that control differentiation along major body axes, and pax genes

Pax genes

Paired box genes are a family of tissue specific transcription factors containing a paired domain and usually a partial or complete homeodomain. An octapeptide may also be present...

 (especially PAX6

PAX6

Paired box protein Pax-6 also known as aniridia type II protein or oculorhombin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PAX6 gene.- Function :PAX6 is a member of the Pax gene family...

) involved in the development of the eye

Eye

Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...

 and other sensory organs.

In early 2010, a team at The University of Texas at Austin led by Edward Marcotte

Edward Marcotte

Edward Marcotte is a professor of biochemistry at The University of Texas at Austin, working in genetics, proteomics, and bioinformatics.Marcotte is an example of a computational biologist who also relies on experiments to validate bioinformatics-based predictions.In 2010, Marcotte and colleagues...

 developed an algorithm

Algorithm

In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...

 which identifies deeply homologous genetic modules in unicellular organisms, plants, and non-human animals based on phenotypes

Phenotype

A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...

 (such as traits and developmental defects). The technique aligns phenotypes across organisms based on orthology (a type of homology) of genes involved in the phenotypes.