Quantifying Epistasis for Fitness in the Native Legume, Chamaecrista Fasciculata

量化原生豆科植物 Chamaecrista Fasciculata 的上位性

• 批准号: 9815780
• 负责人: Charles Fenster
• 金额: $ 24.17万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-02-01 至 2004-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9815780&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Quantifying; Epistasis; Fitness; Native; Legume

9815780Fenster & Zimmer This research concerns the type of gene action responsible for genetic differences among populations of Chamaecrista fasciculata. Genes may act independently of one another so that genetic divergence may simply reflect the accumulated effects of selection acting on single genes. However, important differences among organisms may reflect selection on combinations of genes implying that gene interaction or epistasis is important. The type of gene action can be determined by following the survivorship and reproduction of progeny derived from crosses between populations. If populations are adapted to their environment because selection has acted on combinations of genes, then mixing genes from different populations will result in a disruption of favorable gene interactions and decreased survivorship and reproduction in the hybrid progeny. This study will use traditional biometrical techniques along with molecular analyses to quantify the nature of gene action responsible for adaptation of a population to its environment. This project has important implications for evolution, crop and animal breeding, and conservation biology. If organisms are adapted to their environment because of interactions among genes, then our models of evolution will need to be more complex. Detection of important gene interaction will provide us with a microevolutionary equivalent of macroevolutionary processes such as speciation. Gene interactions imply that different breeding strategies than those presently employed may have greater efficacy for crop and animal improvement. Strategies for maintaining or preserving genetic diversity in endangered species will be influenced by whether gene interaction determines traits associated with survivorship and reproduction.

[9815780]芬斯特&吉默这项研究关注的是导致束状瓢虫种群间遗传差异的基因作用类型。基因可以相互独立地起作用，因此遗传差异可能只是反映了选择作用于单个基因的累积效应。然而，生物之间的重要差异可能反映了基因组合的选择，这意味着基因相互作用或上位性是重要的。基因作用的类型可以通过跟踪种群间杂交产生的后代的存活和繁殖来确定。如果种群适应环境是因为选择作用于基因的组合，那么来自不同种群的基因混合将导致有利的基因相互作用的破坏，并降低杂交后代的存活率和繁殖率。这项研究将使用传统的生物计量技术以及分子分析来量化基因作用的本质，这些基因作用负责种群对其环境的适应。该项目对进化、作物和动物育种以及保护生物学具有重要意义。如果生物体适应环境是因为基因之间的相互作用，那么我们的进化模型将需要更加复杂。对重要基因相互作用的检测将为我们提供与物种形成等宏观进化过程相当的微观进化过程。基因相互作用意味着不同的育种策略比目前所采用的可能对作物和动物改良更有效。基因相互作用是否决定与生存和繁殖相关的性状，将影响维持或保护濒危物种遗传多样性的策略。