FAW: Molecular Studies on the Evolution and Development of Pteridophytes

蕨类植物是进化和发育研究的理想选择。 追踪蕨类植物进化的分子研究尤其重要 因为缺乏形态特征， 系统的研究和分类学家不同意一些统一性， 性状 在本研究中，研究者将研究 在几个蕨类植物家族的基因组的组织。 基因组 重排是有价值的，以确定在较高的连锁 限制性比较的分类学分类顺序 位点突变被排除，因为遗传距离太远， 太好了 人们很可能可以追溯到 重新安排，找到代表， 原始蕨类>薇菜>和高等蕨类之间的差异。 调查员将收集并分析旧世界树 蕨类植物的叶绿体DNA突变，并将这些结果与 新世界树蕨的数据。 目前的一个假设， 一些被子植物研究支持，是来自古老物种 看起来相似的新世界比不同物种的差异更大 它们彼此非常接近。 描述的研究 将解决这个问题。 蕨类植物还提供了几个潜在的有价值的功能， 研究基因调控。 单倍体世代是一个小的，完全的 从单个细胞（孢子）生长的独立植物， 成为双性恋 与开花植物不同， 在一代中完全纯合的二倍体植物。 孢子的转化可以让研究者 对于引入的性状纯合的植物。 特定的基因 将被检测的是男性决定基因。 的孢子 某些在激素存在下播种的物种 精子形成剂萌发以产生雄性单倍体植物。 这 表明不同的基因被激活，以响应这一点。 比当孢子播种没有激素和在 与其他配子体隔离。 差减杂交将 用于丰富与这两个相关的特定消息 不同的发展路径。

Ferns are ideal for evolutionary and developmental studies. Molecular studies tracing fern evolution are especially important because there is a paucity of morphological characters for use in systematic studies and taxonomists disagree about the unity of some traits. In this research, the investigator will study the organization of the genomes in several fern families. Genome rearrangements are valuable for determining linkage at higher orders of taxonomic classification where comparisons of restriction site mutations are precluded because the genetic distance is too great. It is likely that one could trace the evolution of the rearrangements by finding representatives that are immediate between the primitive fern >Osmunda> and the higher ferns. The investigator will collect and analyze the old world tree ferns for chloroplast DNA mutations and compare these results to data on new world tree ferns. One current hypothesis, which has some support from angiosperm studies, is that species from the old and new worlds that look alike differ more than different species which are in close proximity to each other. The study described would address this issue. Ferns also offer several potentially valuable features for studying gene regulation. The haploid generation is a small, fully independent plant that grows from a single cell (the spore) and can be bisexual. Unlike flowering plants, self fertilization produces a diploid plant that is 100% homozygous in one generation. Transformation of the spore will allow the investigator to generate plants homozygous for the introduced trait. The particular genes that will be examined are male determining genes. Spores of certain species that are sown in the presence of the hormone antheridiogen germinate to produce a male haploid plant. This suggests that a different gene(s) is activated in response to this hormone than when the spore is sown without the hormone and in isolation from other gametophytes. Subtraction hybridization will be used to enrich for specific messages related to these two different developmental pathways.