Figure 2

Runx and CBFβ genes in cnidarians and a sponge. A) Schematic representation of the genomic organization of the Runx gene from the sea-anemone Nematostella vectensis. Boxes indicate exons connected by lines representing introns. The Runt domain (RD) is in green. The conserved VWRPY Groucho-binding motif is in yellow. The numbers beneath the diagram represent the sizes of the various exon products (in amino acids) in the Nematostella and Hydra genes. B) Conservation of the RD from sponges and cnidarians to mammals. The arrowhead represents the end of the RD and * marks the cysteine residues which function as 'redox switches". C) Schematic representation of the CBFβ gene from Nematostella vectensis. The red line in the last exon represents the location of the stop codon. The numbers beneath the diagram represent the sizes of the various exon products (in amino acids). D) Conservation of CBFβ from cnidarians to mammals.