The Molecular Basis of Species-Specific Craniofacial Patterning in Avians

Abzhanov博士提出的这项研究跨越了传统研究的界限，它将达尔文雀类这一标志性进化系统的工作与发育和分子技术结合在一起。脊椎动物的头面部特征通常表现出许多适应物种特有的特征。典型的例子是加拉帕戈斯群岛或达尔文雀鸟喙的大小和形状的多样性。比较了6种达尔文氏雀在头面部发育过程中各种生长因子的表达模式，发现骨形态发生蛋白4(Bmp4)的表达水平、程度和时间与喙的形态有关。此外，当Bmp4在鸡胚中的水平被实验改变时，所产生的形态与达尔文的雀类相似，这表明Bmp4在头面部多样性中扮演着重要的角色。由于Bmp4调控的几个方面、结构和功能对颅面形态发生可能很重要，Abzhanov博士建议研究这一重要基因的进化。Abzhanov博士将重点分析Bmp4在鸡胚胎和达尔文雀两个关键物种的头面部发育过程中的基因组调控。Bmp4调控的分析不仅是发育和进化生物学家的普遍兴趣，也是骨科学家和颅面生物学家等更专业的科学家的普遍兴趣。这些研究有可能在基因调控水平上解释适应性形态变化和分子变化之间的关系，并将进化过程与发育机制联系起来。更好地理解进化论对美国的科学教育至关重要。这项研究的结果将由跟踪该领域重要发展的PI、科学作家和理论家广泛传播。这个项目之前的工作已经引起了大学教科书编写者、高中教师和国际科学新闻杂志的关注。这项工作将在普通科学和公众的头脑中鼓励进化和发展之间的联系。这项工作与达尔文雀类长期的进化、生态和保护研究相结合，将为来自不同背景的研究生和博士后提供跨学科研究互动和发展生物学、进化和实地研究的培训机会。Abzhanov博士定期雇用和培训来自厄瓜多尔的学生，这些前现场助理中有50%现在正在美国攻读研究生生涯。

The research proposed by Dr. Abzhanov crosses traditional research boundaries as it incorporates work on one of the iconographic evolutionary systems, Darwin's finches, with developmental and molecular techniques. Craniofacial features in vertebrates often display a number of adaptive species-specific characteristics. The classic example is the diversity in size and shape of the beaks of the Galapagos or "Darwin's" finches. Comparison of the expression patterns of various growth factors during craniofacial development in six species of "Darwin's" finches found that the level, extent and timing of expression of Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (Bmp4) correlated with beak morphology. In addition, when Bmp4 levels were experimentally altered in the chicken embryo the resulting morphologies mimicked that of Darwin's finches, suggesting an important role for Bmp4 in craniofacial diversity. As several aspects of Bmp4 regulation, structure and function may be important for craniofacial morphogenesis, Dr. Abzhanov proposes to examine the evolution of this important gene. Dr. Abzhanov's will focus his analyses on the genomic regulation of Bmp4 during craniofacial development in the chicken embryo and in two key species of Darwin's finches. Analysis of Bmp4 regulation is of great general interest not only to developmental and evolutionary biologists, but also to more specialized scientists such as bone scientists and craniofacial biologists. These studies have the potential to explain the relationship between adaptive morphological change and molecular changes at the level of gene regulation and link evolutionary processes with developmental mechanisms. A better understanding of evolution is critical to science education in the U.S.. Results of this study will be broadly disseminated by the PI, science writers and theoreticians who follow important developments in the field. Previous work on this project has already attracted attention from college textbook writers, high school teachers, and international science news magazines. This work will encourage the link between evolution and development in the minds of general scientific and public audience.Integration of this work with long-standing evolutionary, ecological and conservation studies on Darwin's finches will provide opportunity for interdisciplinary research interactions and training in developmental biology, evolution and field studies for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Abzhanov regularly employs and trains students from Ecuador and 50% of these former field assistants are now pursuing their graduate careers in the U.S...