Antagonistic Genes

拮抗基因

• 批准号: 9307735
• 负责人: William Rice
• 金额: $ 16万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1993
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1993-07-15 至 1997-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9307735&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Antagonistic; Genes

9307735 Recent theory predicts that some forms of hereditary disease may accumulate in humans and other animals due to opposing selection in the two sexes. Positions on chromosomes (the physical units of hereditary information) where such opposing selection occurs are called sexually antagonistic genes. Males and females of the same species are superficially very similar, yet when examined more carefully they differ in many ways. In a very broad sense, the sexes are designed by natural selection to do different things: males to produce and disseminate microgametes (sperm) and females to produce macrogametes (eggs) and frequently nurture their offspring. The optimal phenotype (i.e. the sum of all characteristics of an organism) for males and females frequently may differ between the sexes leading to adaptation in each sex being compromised via counter selection in the other sex. Recent experiments in my laboratory indicate that sex specific selection leads to a major genetic "tug of war". between the sexes potentially resulting in the build upon of hereditary diseases that produce sex specific dysfunction. %%% The proposed experiments use a Drosophila melanogaster (common fruit fly) model system to confirm and extend these earlier findings. Fruit flies are used because they are so well known genetically and for purely pragmatic reasons (inexpensive culturing, short generation time, etc.). Entire haplotype (one half of the hereditary material carried by an individual) will be transmitted father to son for 50 generations. This protocol eliminates female specific selection. Periodically over the course of the experiment the haplotype will be place in both males and females and each sex's life time fitness will be assayed. If sex specific selection is a major contributor to hereditary disease then these haplotype will substantially increase the fitness in males while reducing the fitness of females.

9307735最近的理论预测，由于两性的相反选择，某些形式的遗传性疾病可能在人类和其他动物中积累。染色体（遗传信息的物理单位）上发生这种相反选择的位置被称为性对抗基因。同一物种的雄性和雌性表面上非常相似，但如果仔细观察，它们在许多方面都不同。从广义上讲，两性是由自然选择设计来做不同的事情的：雄性产生并传播小配子（精子），雌性产生大配子（卵子），并经常养育后代。男性和女性的最佳表型（即生物体所有特征的总和）在两性之间可能经常不同，导致两性的适应在另一性别的反选择中受到损害。我实验室最近的实验表明，性别特异性选择导致了一场重大的基因“拉锯战”。在两性之间潜在的导致遗传疾病的建立产生特定的性别功能障碍。拟议的实验使用果蝇（普通果蝇）模型系统来证实和扩展这些早期的发现。果蝇之所以被使用，是因为它们在基因上是众所周知的，而且纯粹是出于实用的原因（廉价的培养，短的繁殖时间等）。整个单倍型（一个人携带的遗传物质的一半）将遗传给儿子50代。这种方法消除了雌性的特异性选择。在实验过程中，雄性和雌性的单倍型将被周期性地放置，并分析每一种性别的终生适合度。如果性别特异性选择是遗传疾病的主要因素，那么这些单倍型将大大增加雄性的适合度，同时降低雌性的适合度。