Studies on Maternal and Epigenetic Selection Models

这项拟议的研究涉及制作哺乳动物身体计划的一些重要发育方面的通用模型。目前大多数用于理解和预测复杂形态和生活史性状之间关系的模型都是不充分的，因为它们忽略了重要的发育过程。具体地说，目前的大多数模型忽视了“遗传母体效应”和所谓的“表观遗传相互作用”在发育过程中所起的作用。这项拟议的研究将提供迄今为止尚未获得的关于遗传母体效应对随机繁殖的哺乳动物生物的影响的实验数据。在一个项目中，研究人员将在几个不同品系的实验室小鼠之间使用胚胎移植程序，以提供关键的新数据，说明产前和出生后母亲对复杂形态和生殖特征发展的影响的遗传变异的相对大小。此外，研究人员将确定这些出生前和出生后影响之间的遗传关联程度。最后，他们将研究母性影响在几代人中的持久性。该项目的第二部分涉及关于表观遗传相互作用现象的理论探索和计算机模拟。这项研究将比较不同表观遗传控制模型下的进化预测，并检查主基因和非加性基因效应对表观遗传选择模型的影响。最后，将提供新的实验设计来评估发育过程中的内在和表观遗传效应。

The proposed research involves production of a generalized model of some important developmental aspects of mammalian body plans. Most current models which to are used to understand and predict relationships among complex morphological and life- history traits are inadequate because they ignore important developmental processes. Specifically, most current models ignore the role played by "genetic maternal effects" and so called "epigenetic interactions" during development. The proposed research will provide heretofore unavailable experimental data on the impact of genetic maternal effects on randombred mammalian organisms. In one project, the investigators will use embryo transfer procedures among several diverse strains of laboratory mice to provide critical new data about the relative magnitude of genetic variation in both prenatal and postnatal maternal effects on the development of complex morphological and reproductive traits. Further, the investigators will determine the extent of genetic correlation between these prenatal and postnatal effects. Finally, they will examine the persistence of maternal effects across generations. The second component of the project involves theoretical explorations and computer simulations about the phenomenon of epigenetic interactions. The research will compare evolutionary predictions made under different models of epigenetic control, and examine the consequences on epigenetic selection models of major genes and non-additive gene effects. Finally, new experimental designs will be provided for estimating intrinsic and epigenetic effects during development.