IRC-EB: The Evolution of a Pheromone Signaling System: From Molecules to Mating

Lynne Houck - NSF 0110666“IRC：信息素信号系统的进化：从分子到交配”LAY摘要：陆生蝾螈有一种独特的化学通讯系统。这个系统的特点是雄性在求偶期间向雌性传递非挥发性信息素（化学信号）。雄性求偶信息素是由雄性下巴下的一个增大的腺体产生的，雄性轻拍雌性鼻子上的这个腺体，以传递他的信息素。在随后的进化史中，多齿鲨以各种方式修改了信息素传递系统，包括将信息素“注射”到雌性循环系统的传递方法。这种化学通讯系统在脊椎动物中是独一无二的，在进化辐射的过程中被不同的齿形类保留了下来。最近，已经确定多齿虫信息素增加了雌性的性接受度，这表明求爱完成得更快。也已经确定信息素是一种蛋白质。这种蛋白质的氨基酸序列已经确定，以及产生信息素蛋白的基因的核苷酸序列。此外，已经确定信息素蛋白是一个细胞因子家族，包括干扰素和白细胞介素。这些发现的系统发育设置为研究从基因到蛋白质再到行为的因果途径的进化提供了一个绝佳的机会。这个项目包含了一个概念框架，它通常适用于在组织的多个层次上研究通信系统的进化变化。

Lynne Houck - NSF 0110666" IRC: The Evolution of a Pheromone Signaling System: From Molecules to Mating"LAY SUMMARYTerrestrial salamanders have a unique system of chemical communication. This system features non-volatile pheromones (chemical signals) that a male delivers to the female during courtship. The male courtship pheromone is produced by an enlarged gland under the male's chin, and the male taps this gland on the female's nose in order to deliver his pheromone. In their subsequent evolutionary history, plethodontids modified this pheromone delivery system in a variety of ways, including delivery methods in which the pheromone is "injected" into the female's circulatory system. This chemical communication system -unique among vertebrates- has been retained by diverse groups of plethodontids throughout their evolutionary radiation. Recently, it has been established that the plethodontid pheromone increases female sexual receptivity, as indicated by courtships that are completed more rapidly. It also has been determined that the pheromone is a protein. The amino acid sequence of this protein has been identified, as well as the nucleotide sequence of the gene that produces the pheromone protein. Furthermore, it has been established that the pheromone protein is in a cytokine family that includes interferons and interleukins. The phylogenetic setting for these discoveries offers an outstanding opportunity to investigate the evolution of the causal pathway from gene to protein to behavior. This project embraces a conceptual framework that is generally applicable to the study of evolutionary change in communication systems at multiple levels of organization.