Collaborative Research: Diversification of the Self-incompatibility Locus in the Papaveraceae

许多植物可以识别和拒绝自己的花粉，以避免自花受精的有害影响。目前对植物花粉识别系统的了解仅来自两个分子系统。本项目将探讨第三种系统，即罂粟科系统。该系统有几个优点，研究自我识别，包括交配型确定的方便性和可用性的排斥反应的体外测定。研究人员将确定不同交配型等位基因在自我识别基因座的历史。这些数据将被用来测试最近的模型的发展自我识别位点，并将提供与其他系统的选择力是相同的，但自我识别的分子机制不同的比较。自我识别基因提供了极端遗传变异的惊人例子。这种变异背后的过程是选择，不断有利于新的或罕见的类型。对稀有性的偏好是人类免疫系统基因多样化的基础，也可能是维持动植物性别的原因。这项研究将有助于我们的知识，在这些位点的变异，这是需要保持人口的生存能力。此外，该项目将为本科生和研究生，包括阿拉斯加土著人提供广泛的培训。

Many plants can recognize and reject their own pollen in order to avoid the deleterious effects of self-fertilization. Current knowledge of pollen recognition systems in plants comes from just two molecular systems. This project will explore a third system, that of the poppy family. This system has several advantages for studying self-recognition including ease of mating-type determination and the availability of in-vitro assays of rejection reactions. The investigators will determine the history of different mating-type alleles at the self-recognition locus. The data will be used to test recent models of the development of self-recognition loci and will provide comparisons with other systems in which the selective forces are the same, but the molecular mechanisms of self-recognition differ. Self-recognition genes provide stunning examples of extreme genetic variation. The process underlying this variation is selection that continuously favors new or rare types. Selection favoring rarity underlies the diversification of the immune system genes in humans and may be responsible for the maintenance of sex in plants and animals. This study will contribute to our knowledge of the maintenance of variation at these loci which is required to maintain population viability. In addition, this project will provide extensive training for undergraduate and graduate student, including Native Alaskans.