Genetics of Mobile Elements in Maize

近年来，对玉米中可移动元件的研究取得了长足的进展，分离和克隆了若干元件，随后又克隆了若干基因。这一进展是分子生物学家与遗传学家密切合作共同努力的结果。早期的结果已经阐明了这些元素的一般结构，它们的组成部分，以及它们的遗传效应。这项工作促进了模型的发展，以解释这些元素在基因组和个体基因中诱导变化的作用。该项目旨在(a)通过分离控制En元素几个特定功能的突变体在En系统中进行分析，(b)对C1、C2、A1、A2、Bz、P和Wx位点的可变等位基因进行遗传分析，以分离突变衍生物进行进一步的分子研究，(c)进一步研究Cy和Uq系统。(d)分析玉米育种群体中移动元件的分布；(e)在克隆位点捕获主元件，用于标记基因。现代遗传学最重要的发展之一是发现染色体并没有固定的、静态的结构，而是基因可以在染色体上从一个地方移动到另一个地方。上世纪50年代，芭芭拉·麦克林托克（Barbara McClintock）首先在玉米中证明了基因的可移动性，不久之后，彼得森博士也独立地证明了这一点。从20世纪70年代开始，大量研究人员开始发现，移动基因在自然界中非常普遍；我们现在知道，它们存在于几乎所有种类的生物体中。从20世纪70年代末开始，一些研究者开始在分子水平上研究基因运动的机制。彼得森博士与Heinz Saedler博士（科隆，德国）进行了卓有成效的合作，为我们理解这些机制作出了许多重要贡献。该奖项将使彼得森博士能够继续这项合作。基因的移动性对个体生物的生命以及种群的进化史有着极其重要的影响。除了它们内在的科学重要性之外，可移动的遗传元素还构成了许多对生物技术至关重要的方法的支柱。

Studies of mobile elements in maize have made considerable progress in the past few years with the isolation and cloning of several elements and subsequent cloning of a number of genes. This progress is a result of the combined efforts of molecular biologists working closely with geneticists. Early results have elucidated the general structure of the elements, their component parts, and their genetic effects. This work has generated the development of models to explain the role of these elements inducing changes in the genome as well as in individual genes. This project is designed to (a) analyze in En system by isolating mutants controlling the several specific functions of the En element, (b) pursue the genetic analysis of mutable alleles at the C1, C2, A1, A2, Bz, P, and Wx loci in order to isolate mutant derivatives for additional molecular studies, (c) further the studies of the Cy and Uq systems, (d) analyze corn breeding populations for the distribution of mobile elements, and (e) trap master elements at cloned loci for their use in tagging genes. One of the most important developments in modern genetics has been the discovery that chromosomes do not have fixed, static structures, but rather that genes can move from place to place on the chromosomes. The mobility of genes was first demonstrated in corn by Barbara McClintock in the 1950s, and independently by Dr. Peterson not long afterwards. Beginning in the 1970s a large number of investigators began to discover that mobile genes are very widespread in nature; we now know that they are found in almost all species of living organism. Beginning in the late 1970s a number of investigators began to study at the molecular level the mechanisms by which genes move. Dr. Peterson has had a very productive collaboration with Dr. Heinz Saedler (Cologne, FRG) which has resulted in many important contributions to our understanding of these mechanisms. This award will allow Dr. Peterson to continue this collaboration. The mobility of genes has immensely important consequences for the lives of individual organisms, as well as for the evolutionary history of populations. Beyond their intrinsic scientific importance, mobile genetic elements have formed the backbone of many methods of critical importance for biotechnology.