Dissertation Research: The Evolution of Floral Developmental Genes in Mimulus

所有生物体的发育都受到各种基因的调控，这些基因相互作用并相互控制。最近的研究表明，这些基因组中的许多基因在各种各样的植物和动物中是共享的。一个非常真实的问题出现了：如果相同的基因影响了所有这些生物体的发育，那么这些生物体是如何彼此如此不同的呢？显然，基因本身的特性一定会随着时间的推移而改变。该项目旨在解决这些变化发生的速度有多快以及变化的速度是否受到基因在调控层次中的作用的影响。这项研究的重点是几个自然发生的种类monkeyflowers（Mimulus）和测量的变化率的三个基因，相互作用，在调节花的发展，使用DNA测序和分析的遗传变异内和物种之间。这项工作将阐明如何在发展过程中的变化可以导致我们看到的巨大的多样性，在生物体。这不仅解决了生物学中的一个基本问题，而且还可以更好地了解基因本身的功能，这对农业和人类健康都有潜在的影响。

The development of all organisms is regulated by a wide variety of genes that interact and control one another. Recent research has revealed that many of these sets of genes are shared across a wide variety of plants and animals. A very real question then emerges: if the same genes influence development in all of these organisms, how do the organisms come to be so different from one another? Obviously, the properties of the genes themselves must be changing through time. This project aims to address the question of how quickly these changes occur and whether or not the rate of change is influenced by a gene's role in the regulatory hierarchy. This research focuses on several naturally occurring species of monkeyflowers (Mimulus) and measures rates of change for three genes that interact in regulating flower development using DNA sequencing and an analysis of genetic variation both within and between species.This work will shed light on how variation in developmental processes can lead to the vast diversity we see among living organisms. This not only addresses a fundamental issue in biology, but can also lead to a better understanding of the function of the genes themselves, which has potential implications for both agriculture and human health.