| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Antisense transcripts of <it>Ultrabithorax </it>(a<it>Ubx</it>) in the millipede <it>Glomeris </it>and the centipede <it>Lithobius </it>are expressed in patterns complementary to that of the <it>Ubx </it>sense transcripts. A similar complementary expression pattern has been described for non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) of the <it>bithoraxoid </it>(<it>bxd</it>) locus in <it>Drosophila</it>, in which the transcription of <it>bxd </it>ncRNAs represses <it>Ubx </it>via transcriptional interference. We discuss our findings in the context of possibly conserved mechanisms of <it>Ubx </it>regulation in myriapods and the fly.</p> <p>Bicistronic transcription of <it>Ubx </it>and <it>Antennapedia </it>(<it>Antp</it>) has been reported previously for a myriapod and a number of crustaceans. In this paper, we show that <it>Ubx/Antp </it>bicistronic transcripts also occur in <it>Glomeris </it>and an onychophoran, suggesting further conserved mechanisms of Hox gene regulation in arthropods.</p> <p>Myriapod monophyly is supported by the expression of <it>aUbx </it>in all investigated myriapods, whereas in other arthropod classes, including the Onychophora, <it>aUbx </it>is not expressed. Of the two splice variants of <it>Ubx/Antp </it>only one could be isolated from myriapods, representing a possible further synapomorphy of the Myriapoda.</p>
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