Collaborative Research: The Genetics of Postmating, Prezygotic Isolation

过去20年的研究表明，在交配后但在精子和卵核融合之前表现的性状差异，通常被称为交配后、合子前的遗传差异，在减少种群与物种之间以及密切相关物种之间的基因交换方面发挥了主要作用。这些基因差异的遗传基础尚不清楚，因此构成了马歇尔和霍华德研究计划的主要目标。具体地说，这项拟议的研究侧重于识别不同的精液和精子蛋白，无论是在丰度还是结构上，都是通过交配后的前合子差异分离出来的密切相关的地面蟋蟀物种之间的差异。一旦确定，基因沉默技术将被用来评估每种蛋白质的功能及其在防止或减少物种之间受精方面的影响。在蟋蟀的阿隆莫比乌斯社会复合体中，受精障碍已经得到了深入的研究，为评估成功受精的基因和蛋白质提供了一个很好的模型。了解种群和物种之间受精不亲和性的遗传基础可以提供对广泛主题的洞察，包括物种(包括人类)内不孕不育的发展，以及性选择和性冲突在推动受精蛋白质分化中的作用。该项目为本科生和研究生提供培训，并扩展到K-12学校。

Research over the past 20 years has shown that trait differences acting after copulationbut before the fusion of sperm and egg nuclei, often termed postmating, prezygotic traitdifferences, play a primary role in reducing gene exchange between populations withina species and between closely related species. The genetic basis of these traitdifferences is poorly understood and thus, constitutes the primary goal of Marshall andHoward's research plan. Specifically, the proposed research focuses on identifying theseminal fluid and sperm proteins that differ, whether in abundance or structure, betweenclosely related ground cricket species that are isolated by postmating, prezygotic traitdifferences. Once identified, gene silencing technology will be used to evaluate thefunction of each protein and its influence on preventing or reducing fertilization betweenspecies.Barriers to fertilization have been intensively studied in the Allonemobius sociuscomplex of crickets, providing an excellent model for evaluating the genes and proteinsthat underlie successful fertilization. Understanding the genetic basis of fertilizationincompatibilities between populations and species can provide insight into a wide-rangeof topics, including the development of infertility within species (including humans) andthe role of sexual selection and sexual conflict in driving the divergence of fertilizationproteins. The project provides training for undergraduate and graduate students andoutreach to K-12 schools.