An Integrative Analysis of Gene Conversion

基因转化的综合分析

• 批准号: 0618691
• 负责人: Gregory Copenhaver
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0618691&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integrative; Analysis; Gene; Conversion

Meiosis, the reductive division of the genome in preparation for fertilization, is a critical phase in the life-cycle of sexually reproducing organisms. During meiosis homologous chromosomes interact resulting in the heritable rearrangement of DNA, through reciprocal exchange between homologous chromosomes (crossing over, CO) or gene conversion (GC). In most eukaryotes these events ensure proper chromosome segregation, facilitate DNA repair and provide a basis for genetic diversity. Detailed models describing recombination mechanisms have been proposed and measurements of the frequency, and distribution of GC events can be used to test the accuracy of these models. Meiotic recombination also causes the breakdown linkage disequilibrium (LD), the non-random association of sets of alleles at linked loci, over evolutionary time which population geneticists use to better understand how species, their phenotypes, and their genomes evolve. Recent models suggest that GC may be as important as CO in breaking down LD in some genomic regions. The immediate goals of this project are to measure GC frequency at multiple loci in two distinct organisms, the plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the metazoan Drosophila melanogaster. The investigators will also make population genetic estimates of recombination at the same loci and compare these estimates with direct measurements of GC and CO in order to refine population genetic models of recombination and its effect on genome wide patterns of LD. The long-term goal of the project is to understand how meiotic recombination operates in multi-cellular organisms and how it influences genome variation and evolution. In addition to deepening our understanding of a classic genetic problem - gene conversion - this proposal also provides broader impact by building truly interdisciplinary collegial partnerships, creating a platform for participation by junior scientists from underrepresented groups and emphasizing graduate level education in the form of first-hand research and collaboration.

减数分裂，即为受精做准备的基因组的还原分裂，是有性生殖生物生命周期中的一个关键阶段。 在减数分裂过程中，同源染色体相互作用，通过同源染色体之间的相互交换（交换，CO）或基因转换（GC）导致DNA的遗传重排。 在大多数真核生物中，这些事件确保适当的染色体分离，促进DNA修复，并为遗传多样性提供基础。 已经提出了描述重组机制的详细模型，并且可以使用GC事件的频率和分布的测量来测试这些模型的准确性。 减数分裂重组也会导致连锁不平衡（LD），即在连锁基因座上等位基因组的非随机关联，随着进化时间的推移，种群遗传学家使用它来更好地了解物种，它们的表型和它们的基因组如何进化。 最近的模型表明，GC在某些基因组区域中可能与CO一样重要。 该项目的直接目标是测量两种不同生物体中多个位点的GC频率，植物拟南芥和后生动物黑腹果蝇。 研究人员还将对同一基因座的重组进行群体遗传估计，并将这些估计与GC和CO的直接测量进行比较，以完善重组的群体遗传模型及其对LD全基因组模式的影响。 该项目的长期目标是了解减数分裂重组如何在多细胞生物中运作，以及它如何影响基因组变异和进化。除了加深我们对经典遗传问题-基因转换-的理解外，该提案还通过建立真正的跨学科合作伙伴关系，为来自代表性不足群体的初级科学家的参与创造一个平台，并以第一手研究和合作的形式强调研究生教育，从而产生更广泛的影响。