Dissertation Research: The Evolutionary and Developmental Genetic Basis of Wing Polymorphisms in Ants

生物学面临的最大挑战之一是了解基因是如何在生物体的发育过程中部署的，从而产生了地球上令人惊叹的各种生物。如果详细研究各种生物现象，可以帮助我们更好地了解这些基因蓝图。其中一种现象是形态多态，在自然界中广泛存在，并在许多不同类型的生物体中独立出现。例如，在蚂蚁中，根据单个蚂蚁胚胎所经历的环境条件，它要么发育成有翅膀的生殖种姓(雄性或女王)，要么发育成没有翅膀的不育种姓(工人或士兵)。在哪里，什么时候。在发育过程中，哪些基因被关闭或打开，从而在兄弟姐妹之间产生反常的差异？这项研究通过整合来自多个生物水平和多个物种的数据，检查了蚂蚁这种形态多态所涉及的基因。它将描述与翅膀发育、细胞生长和激素调节有关的几个基因的表达。目标是确定：(1)有翼生殖蚂蚁中与翅膀发育有关的基因是否保守；(2)无翼非生殖蚂蚁的翅膀图案、生长和分化是如何被中断的；以及(3)无翼非生殖蚂蚁的中断过程是否已经进化。了解这一现象的遗传基础将有助于深入了解有机体的基因、环境和解剖学之间的关系。

0073278Wray & AbouheifOne of the great challenges to biology is understanding how genes are deployed during an organism's development to produce the astonishing variety of creatures on earth. A variety of biological phenomena can, if studied in detail, help us gain a better understanding of these genetic blueprints. One such phenomenon, morphological polymorphism, is widespread in nature, and has appeared independently in many different types of organisms. In ants, for example, depending on the environmental conditions an individual ant embryo experiences, it will either develop into a reproductive caste (male or a queen) with wings or develop into a sterile caste (worker or soldier) without wings. Where, when. and which genes are turned off or on during development to produce antomical differenes among siblings? This study examines the genes involved in this morphological polymorphism in ants by integrating data from multiple biological levels and from multiple species. It will characterize the expression of several genes involved in wing development, cell growth, and hormonal regulation. The goals are to determine: (1) whether the genes involved in wing development are conserved in winged reproductive ants; (2) how the patterning, growth, and differentiation of wings in wingless non-reproductive ants is interrupted; and (3) whether the process of interruption in wingless non-reproductive ants has evolved. Understanding the genetic basis of this phenomenon will provide insights into the relationship between an organism's genes, the environment, and anatomy.