DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Tracing the Origins and History of Animal Phototransduction using Phylogenetic Approachs

论文研究：用系统发育方法追踪动物光转导的起源和历史进化是如何从共同的起点进行的，并继续产生我们今天看到的生物多样性的丰富展示？本研究的主要目的是利用动物光敏性的进化作为模型或案例研究来阐明这一问题。在自然界中，光敏性以多种形式存在，从简单的明暗感知，到人类等动物常见的复杂视觉灵敏度。本研究试图通过比较参与接收和传输光信息的单个蛋白质的进化史来了解这些不同类型光敏性的起源。具体地说，不同蛋白质的分支结构可以提示潜在的、一般的过程，这些过程促成了动物光敏性的进化多样化。这个项目在两个方面不同于其他关注多样性进化起源的研究。首先，所采用的比较系统发育方法是新颖的，因为它将通常用于理解物种共同进化的方法应用于蛋白质-蛋白质共同进化的问题。其次，研究人员首次探索了基础动物谱系中光敏性的早期进化，如水螅，水母的近亲。通过这种方式，本研究将对动物光敏性的起源提供一个深入的了解。

DEB-0710406 DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Tracing the Origins and History of Animal Phototransduction using Phylogenetic Approaches How does evolution proceed from common starting points and go on to generate the riotous display of biodiversity that we see today? The primary goal of this study is to shed light on this problem using the evolution of animal photosensitivity as a model, or case study. In nature, photosensitivity exists in numerous forms, ranging from the simple perception of light from dark, to the complex visual acuities common in animals such as humans. This study seeks to understand the origins of these diverse types of photosensitivity by comparing the evolutionary histories of individual proteins that are involved in receiving and transmitting light information. Specifically, the branching profile of the different proteins can suggest underlying, general, processes that have contributed to the evolutionary diversification of photosensitivity in animals. This project differs from other studies that have focused on the evolutionary origin of diversity in two ways. First, the comparative phylogenetic approach employed is novel in that it applies methods commonly used to understand the co-evolution of species, to the problem of protein-protein co-evolution. Second, for the first time, the researchers explore the early evolution of photosensitivity in basal animal lineages such as Hydra, a close relative to jellyfish. In this way, this study will provide an insight into the origin of animal photosensitivity.