The image above shows a digital rendering of the Antennapedia homeodomain protein from the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) bound to a DNA fragment. (fossilmuseum.net)
In addition, as a previous study showed that the SXI2a homeodomain factor gene is sufficient to drive sexual development of haploid α cells [56], we introduced the SXI2a gene into strain XL280α to mimic a-α sexual reproduction, generating strain MN140.23 (Figure S13). (journals.plos.org)
The gene they found, dubbed Odysseus, contains a so - called homeodomain, a stretch of DNA that usually changes very little even in creatures as distantly related as worms and mice. (sciencemag.org)