DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Role of Recombination in Transposable Element Proliferation in Daphnia Pulex

论文研究：重组在水蚤转座元件增殖中的作用

• 批准号: 0608254
• 负责人: Michael Lynch
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-01 至 2008-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0608254&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Role; Recombination; Transposable

Transposable elements (TEs) are regions of DNA that have the capacity to move around the genome in which they are found. Despite their longtime characterization as "junk", TEs have become recognized as important and ubiquitous components of eukaryotic genomes. As a result, there is great interest in what factors influence the dynamics of TE movement. Recombination among host genomes during sexual reproduction may have an especially interesting role in TE proliferation because it simultaneously provides a mechanism by which TEs may easily be gained (e.g. due to insertions when DNA molecules break and exchange material), and an opportunity for TEs to be lost via independent assortment of chromosomes lacking new insertions. Using Daphnia pulex as a model, we can examine the role of recombination in TE proliferation during both sexual and asexual reproduction.Understanding TE movement is important because TEs introduce a significant source of genetic variation upon which natural selection can act. In some cases, TEs insert into genes and disrupt normal function leading to disease. Alternatively, TEs can insert into or near genes, providing novel or regulatory function. Understanding how recombination influences TE dynamics is a key part of understanding their overall role in the genome.

转座因子（Transposable elements，TEs）是DNA中具有在基因组中移动能力的区域，尽管长期以来被认为是“垃圾”，但它已被认为是真核生物基因组中重要且普遍存在的组成部分。因此，有很大的兴趣是什么因素影响TE运动的动态。有性生殖过程中宿主基因组间的相互作用可能在TE增殖中具有特别有趣的作用，因为它同时提供了一种机制，通过该机制可以容易地获得TE（例如，由于DNA分子断裂和交换材料时的插入），并且通过缺乏新插入的染色体的独立分类，提供了TE丢失的机会。以蚤状蚤（Daphnia pulex）为模型，我们可以研究有性和无性生殖过程中重组在TE增殖中的作用，了解TE运动是重要的，因为TE引入了一个重要的遗传变异来源，自然选择可以对其起作用。在某些情况下，TE插入基因并破坏正常功能，导致疾病。或者，TE可以插入到基因中或附近，提供新的或调节功能。了解重组如何影响TE动力学是了解它们在基因组中的整体作用的关键部分。