International Research Fellowship Program: Adaptive Divergence and Demographic History: Population Genomics of Australian Rattus

[502375]国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。该计划的奖励为联合研究提供了机会，并利用独特或互补的设施、专业知识和国外的实验条件。该奖项将支持Kevin Rowe博士为期22个月的研究奖学金，他将与澳大利亚新南威尔士南十字星大学的Peter Baversotck教授和加州大学伯克利分校综合基因组学中心附属机构脊椎动物博物馆馆长Craig Moritz教授合作。鼠属，起源于东南亚，是扩张最快的生物之一，广泛分布于除南极洲以外的各大洲。很少有生物与人类种群有如此多的接触和意义；鼠是疾病和主要作物害虫的重要媒介，也是生理学、毒理学和医学研究的重要生物模型。像其他啮齿类动物一样，Rattus具有多产的繁殖率，并且可能具有最大的种群扩张和入侵倾向。Rattus的本质是扩张和多样化。要了解这种生物的成功和传播，我们必须评估它的扩张、适应和多样化。本项目研究了两个密切相关的澳大利亚鼠物种的种群扩张、适应性分化和生殖隔离（多样化）。澳大利亚是开始调查Rattus属扩展的重要地点，因为它代表了东南亚Rattus起源附近的终端扩展点。本项目利用最近完成的褐家鼠（Rattus norvegicus）基因组来评估澳大利亚两种褐家鼠最近的扩张和生殖隔离所导致的遗传变化。对人类、小鼠和Rattus基因组的比较表明，蛋白质序列的绝大多数功能差异仅限于免疫蛋白、毒性蛋白和嗅觉/气味蛋白。澳大利亚家鼠最近的进化和分化为应用褐家鼠基因组信息来解决基本的进化问题提供了一个独特的机会。Baverstock教授是澳大利亚Rattus进化方面的专家，特别是生殖隔离的遗传基础。莫里茨教授为基因组分析提供了广泛的计算技能和先进的基础设施。因此，该项目促进了这些杰出科学家之间的思想交流，并支持将这些信息传递给罗博士，这将成为他在美国学术生涯的基础。

0502375RoweThe International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will support a twenty-two-month research fellowship by Dr. Kevin Rowe, who will collaborate with Prof. Peter Baversotck at Southern Cross University in New South Wales, Australia and Prof. Craig Moritz, director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and affiliate of the Center for Integrative Genomics at the University of California, Berkeley. The genus Rattus, originating in Southeast Asia, is one the fastest expanding organisms and is widespread throughout every continent except Antarctica. Few organisms have as much contact with and significance to human populations; Rattus are critical vectors for disease, major crop pests, and important biological models for physiological, toxicological and medical studies. Like other rodents, Rattus have prolific reproductive rates, and have perhaps the greatest propensity for population expansion and invasion of any rodent. The nature of Rattus is one of expansion and diversification. To understand the success and spread of this organism we must evaluate its expansions, adaptations and diversification. This project investigates population expansions, adaptive divergence, and reproductive isolation (diversification) among two closely related Australian Rattus species. Australia is an important location to begin the investigation of the expansions of the genus Rattus as it represents a terminal expansion point near the origin of Rattus in Southeast Asia. This project utilizes the recently completed genome of Rattus norvegicus to evaluate genetic changes resulting from the recent expansion and reproductive isolation of two species of Rattus in Australia. Comparisons of the genomes of humans, Mus (mouse), and Rattus, demonstrate that the vast majority of functional differences in protein sequences are limited to immunological proteins, toxicity proteins, and olfactory/odorant proteins. The recent evolution and divergence of Australian Rattus provide a unique opportunity to apply genomic information from the Rattus norvegicus genome to address fundamental evolutionary questions. Prof. Baverstock is expert on the evolution of Australian Rattus, particularly the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. Prof. Moritz provides extensive computational skills and advanced infrastructure for genomic analyses. Thus, this project fosters the exchange of ideas between these distinguished scientists and supports transfer of this information to Dr. Rowe that will be the foundation for his academic career in the United States.