A Molecular Genetic Investigation of Paternal Genes and Female Fitness

小行星9906531 分子生物学的发现提供了越来越多的证据，证明物种的基因组是动态的实体，不断进化，至少部分是由于细胞核和细胞质内部和之间的遗传冲突。自私的遗传因子，如细胞内共生体、转座因子、分离扭曲等位基因、母体效应致死等位基因以及超可用（“垃圾”）DNA和基因组印记基因的不平衡，都可以通过使母体和父亲基因型的某些组合在发育中的胚胎内不相容而破坏雌性适应性. 单基因座小卫星DNA探针的pseudocorpion，Cordylochernes scorpioides，在结合一个类似的胎生生殖生物学非常适合实验，并涉及大量的后代的生产，使这个物种的模式系统调查父亲的基因型对女性健身的影响。通过一项涉及行为分析、育种实验和DNA分析的研究计划，本研究将检验以下假设：雌性生殖道内的细胞和分子相互作用可以为雌性提供使遗传不相容精子受精的风险和/或成本最小化的机制。这一遗传不相容性假说将测试对几个先前提出的假说，以解释如何父亲的基因型可以影响女性生殖成功，即交易的假说，避免近亲繁殖的假说和内在的男性质量假说。

9906531 Zeh Discoveries in molecular biology are providing growing evidence that the genomes of species are dynamic entities, constantly evolving, at least in part, as a result of genetic conflicts within and between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Selfish genetic elements, such as cellular endosymbionts, transposable elements, segregation distorter alleles, maternal effect lethal alleles, as well as hyperavailable ("junk") DNA and imbalances in genomically- imprinted genes, can all undermine female fitness by rendering certain combinations of maternal and paternal genotypes incompatible within the developing embryo. The development of single-locus minisatellite DNA probes for the pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides, in combination with a mammalian-like viviparous reproductive biology highly amenable to experimentation and involving the production of large numbers of offspring, makes this species a model system for investigating the effects of paternal genotypes on female fitness. Through a research program involving behavioral analyses, breeding experiments and DNA profiling, this study will test the hypothesis that cellular and molecular interactions within the female reproductive tract can provide females with mechanisms for minimizing the risk and/or cost of fertilization by genetically- incompatible sperm. This genetic incompatibility hypothesis will be tested against several previously proposed hypotheses to explain how paternal genotypes can influence female reproductive success, namely the trading-up hypothesis, the inbreeding avoidance hypothesis and the intrinsic male quality hypothesis.