Research Starter Grant: Genome Evolution in Polyploid Helianthus (Asteraceae)

研究启动资助：多倍体向日葵（菊科）的基因组进化

• 批准号: 0528356
• 负责人: Sheri Church
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: George Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-05-15 至 2007-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0528356&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Starter; Grant; Genome; Evolution

This is a Research Starter Grant provided for Dr. Sheri who was a recipient of the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics. Understanding the genetics of speciation remains a central question in evolutionary biology. As an NSF Postdoctoral fellow in Biological Informatics, the investigator utilized an EST database for sunflower to identify positively selected genes in several diploid sunflowers. The current award support the next phase of this research, specifically to understand the evolutionary history of these same genes in polyploid sunflowers. The investigator plans to clone and sequence a subset of genes found to be evolving neutrally, positively, and negatively in diploid sunflower species. These clones will be sequenced and any variable copies will be examined for the types of selection acting on them. Due to the recency of the sunflower radiation, these analyses are expected to shed light on the rate of divergence among alleles within polyploids. This research will provide research opportunities for undergraduate students in the field of evolution and bioinformatics. Beyond education, the impact of the research is both basic and applied. While much work has been done to understand the genetics of diploid speciation, very little research has focused on polyploid speciation. The results will enhance our understanding of the molecular evolution of polyploid genomes as well as sunflower speciation genetics. Furthermore, one of the polyploidy species to be examined is the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), one of two agriculturally important sunflower species. While this species is an important crop, it is also an invasive weed. The research will increase our understanding of the evolutionary history of this particular species by providing genetic analyses of the fates of a variety of important sunflower genes.

这是为Sheri博士提供的研究启动补助金，他是NSF生物信息学博士后研究奖学金的获得者。理解物种形成的遗传学仍然是进化生物学的中心问题。作为NSF生物信息学博士后研究员，研究人员利用向日葵EST数据库在几种二倍体向日葵中鉴定出阳性选择基因。目前的奖项支持这项研究的下一阶段，特别是了解多倍体向日葵中这些相同基因的进化历史。研究人员计划克隆和测序一个基因子集，这些基因在二倍体向日葵物种中被发现是中性的，积极的和消极的。将对这些克隆进行测序，并检查任何可变拷贝的选择作用类型。由于最近的向日葵辐射，这些分析有望揭示多倍体内等位基因之间的分歧率。这项研究将为本科生在进化和生物信息学领域提供研究机会。除了教育，研究的影响是基础和应用。虽然已经做了很多工作来了解二倍体物种形成的遗传学，但很少有研究集中在多倍体物种形成上。这些结果将增强我们对多倍体基因组分子进化以及向日葵物种形成遗传学的理解。此外，待检测的多倍性物种之一是耶路撒冷（Helianthus tuberosus），其为两种农业上重要的向日葵物种之一。虽然该物种是一种重要的作物，但它也是一种入侵杂草。这项研究将通过对各种重要向日葵基因的命运进行遗传分析，增加我们对这种特定物种进化历史的了解。