Use of CR1 Insertions to Dissect a Deep Polytomy in Anseriformes

使用 CR1 插入来解剖雁形目深部多切术

• 批准号: 0743605
• 负责人: Thomas Quinn
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Denver
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-06-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0743605&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Use; CR1; Insertions; Dissect; Deep

Systematic relationships among Anseriformes (screamers, ducks, geese and swans) have remained controversial for decades. Major attempts to resolve these relationships have been made using morphological, behavioral and molecular approaches, yet important parts of the tree remain unresolved. This study uses a new approach in an attempt to resolve a major polytomy within that tree by isolating and characterizing specific sites in the genome where a transposable element (called CR1) is present in some species, but not in others. Such approaches have recently proven powerful for studies of mammalian phylogeny, and it is hoped that they will be similarly important in studies of birds.The project's broader impacts include the introduction of genomic studies to many undergraduate students including underrepresented groups and the introduction of the general concepts to other scientists visiting a university-based center focused on conservation genetics and systematics. Studies of CR1 in birds will also increase scientific understanding of the activity of transposable elements within genomes. Such elements comprise over half of the human genome, and are increasingly recognized as being important components of eukaryotic genomes for an increasing variety of reasons. Finally, the technique that is central to this study has many other applications beyond the field of systematics and will allow the isolation of a wide variety of DNA targets from uncharacterized genomes of many organisms unrelated to birds.

雁形目（尖叫者，鸭，鹅和天鹅）之间的系统关系几十年来一直存在争议。主要尝试解决这些关系已经取得了使用形态学，行为和分子的方法，但树的重要部分仍然没有解决。这项研究使用了一种新的方法，试图通过分离和表征基因组中的特定位点来解决该树中的一个主要的多分裂现象，其中转座因子（称为CR1）存在于某些物种中，而不是其他物种。这些方法最近被证明对哺乳动物的生殖发育研究非常有效，希望它们在鸟类的研究中也同样重要。该项目的更广泛影响包括向许多本科生（包括代表性不足的群体）介绍基因组研究，并向访问大学中心的其他科学家介绍一般概念，该中心专注于保护遗传学和系统学。对鸟类CR1的研究也将增加对基因组内转座因子活性的科学理解。这些元件包含超过一半的人类基因组，并且由于越来越多的原因而越来越多地被认为是真核基因组的重要组分。最后，这项研究的核心技术在系统学领域之外还有许多其他应用，将允许从许多与鸟类无关的生物体的未表征基因组中分离出各种各样的DNA靶标。