Dissertation Research: Genetic basis of morphological evolution in cotton (Gossypium spp. Linnaeus)

学位论文研究：棉花形态进化的遗传基础。植物从其野生祖先的驯化过程涉及到许多形式和结构上的变化。在大多数情况下，这些变化的潜在遗传基础还没有得到很好的理解。大约5,000年前，棉花经历了驯化，大大改善了纤维特性，提高了产量。目前尚不清楚棉花植物基因组的哪些部分在这一过程中发生了变化。在棉花中，类似的转变发生在两个不同大陆的四个不同物种中。为了阐明驯化过程中所涉及的遗传变化的本质，我们将探索两条途径。首先，将比较野生和驯化植物的等效纤维发育阶段，以发现基因表达的改变模式。其次，将分析来自发育纤维的DNA，以确定基因数量在棉纤维发育过程中是否发生变化。这些实验将提供数据，有助于理解现代棉花作物所特有的长、强、高质量纤维发育所必需的遗传变化。这些信息将为植物育种者和其他对提高商业棉花生产和纺织工业感兴趣的人提供新的研究途径。

Dissertation Research: Genetic basis of morphological evolution in cotton (Gossypium spp. Linnaeus)The domestication of plants from their wild ancestors involved many changes in form and structure. The underlying genetic basis of these changes is not well-understood in most cases. Cotton underwent domestication roughly 5,000 years ago, leading to greatly improved fiber properties and enhanced yield. It is not known what parts of the cotton plant's genome changed during this process. In cotton, similar transitions occurred in four separate species on two different continents. To shed light on the nature of the genetic changes involved in domestication, two avenues will be explored. First, equivalent fiber developmental stages from wild and domesticated plants will be compared to discover altered patterns of gene expression. Second, DNA from developing fibers will be analyzed to determine if the number of genes changes during cotton fiber development. The experiments will provide data that will facilitate an understanding of the genetic changes necessary for the development of the long, strong, high-quality fiber that characterizes modern cotton crops. This information will provide new avenues of research for plant breeders and others interested in enhancing commercial cotton production and the textile industry.