The Role of Symmetry Genes in Establishing Petal and Stamen Phenotypic Diversity

花形态的多样性令人震惊，但人们对发育遗传模式的变化如何引起花形式的差异知之甚少。花的多样化可以迅速发生，这可能是由于植物-传粉者相互作用施加的选择性压力造成的。因此，研究花型差异的亲缘关系密切的植物物种之间发育遗传途径的进化，对于确定基因表达、蛋白质功能和遗传相互作用的变化如何导致物种之间的形态差异将具有很高的生产力。在模式植物骁龙(金鱼草)中，已经确定了一组基因和遗传交互作用，这些基因和遗传交互作用是正确建立双边花对称所必需的。这项拟议的研究将利用基因表达分析和蛋白质功能分析，通过基因沉默策略，具体说明建立双边花对称的遗传网络如何在近缘金鱼属物种中多样化。此外，拟议的研究将深入了解这一发育网络中的遗传变化如何有助于在与骁龙密切相关的物种中观察到新的花卉形态的进化。这些研究将有助于阐明导致植物形态进化的潜在遗传变化。这些发现可能具有重要的农学意义，例如改良作物物种的发展，以及对我们对形态多样性如何随着进化时间的推移而产生的一般理解产生重大影响。拟议的研究是高度跨学科的，因此将提供一个特殊的机会，在传统植物形态、植物分子发育遗传学和分子进化的界面上培养博士后研究员、研究生和本科生。此外，该项目将提高堪萨斯大学的研究质量，并将包括代表人数不足的群体的参与。

Diversity in floral morphology is astounding, yet very little is known about how changes in developmental genetic patterning give rise to differences in floral form. Floral diversification can occur rapidly and this is likely due to selective pressures imposed through plant-pollinator interactions. Therefore, investigating the evolution of developmental genetic pathways among closely related plant species that exhibit differences in floral form will be highly productive in determining how changes in gene expression, protein function and genetic interactions give rise to morphological differences between species. In the model plant species snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), a set of genes and genetic interactions have been identified that are necessary for the proper establishment of bilateral flower symmetry. The proposed research will utilize both gene expression assays and analyses of protein function, through gene silencing strategies, to specifically addresses how the genetic network establishing bilateral flower symmetry has diversified among closely related species of snapdragon. In addition, the proposed research will provide insight into how genetic changes in this developmental network have contributed to the evolution of novel floral morphologies observed among species closely related to snapdragon. These studies will help elucidate the underlying genetic changes that are responsible for the evolution of plant form. Such findings can have important agronomic implications, such as the development of improved crop species, as well as a significant impact on our general understanding of how morphological diversity arises over evolutionary time. The proposed research is highly inter-disciplinary, and will therefore offer an exceptional opportunity for training a postdoctoral researcher, graduate students and undergraduate students at the interface of traditional plant morphology, plant molecular developmental genetics and molecular evolution. In addition, this project will enhance the quality of research at the University of Kansas and will include the participation of under-represented groups.