Evolution and Genetics of Kin Recognition in a Model System

PI 将研究变形虫盘基网柄菌 (Dictyostelium discoideum) 对自我和亲属的识别。这些单细胞变形虫聚集在一起形成多细胞子实体，但它们主要与自己基因相同的克隆成员一起形成，排斥基因不同的克隆。研究人员将研究识别的成本和收益，特别是它如何防止外国克隆的利用。他们还将研究识别是否仅仅涉及避免其他克隆，或者是否也会导致对外来克隆的攻击，类似于组织排斥。 最后，他们还将识别引起识别的基因。 识别系统对生活至关重要。 例如，自我识别使人类能够发现和攻击病原体，它在器官移植中也发挥着关键作用。 D. discoideum 是一种良好的单细胞实验室生物，具有已测序的基因组，与人类共享许多基因，并且拥有为其开发的许多分子和遗传技术。因此，这些研究将为识别研究提供一个有价值的模型系统，从而深入了解识别如何工作和进化的一般问题，而这些问题在其他生物体中不容易解决。

The PIs will investigate recognition of self and kin in an amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. These single-celled amoebas come together to form a multicellular fruiting body, but they do so primarily with members of their own genetically identical clone, rejecting genetically different clones. The researchers will study the costs and benefits of recognition, particularly how it protects against exploitation by foreign clones. They will also investigate whether recognition simply involves avoidance of other clones, or whether it also leads to attacks on the foreign clone, analogous to tissue rejection. Finally, they will also identify the genes that cause recognition. Recognition systems are vital to life. For example, self-recognition is what allows humans to detect and attack pathogens, and it also plays a critical role in organ transplantation. D. discoideum is a good single-celled lab organism, has a sequenced genome, shares many genes with humans, and has many molecular and genetic techniques developed for it. Therefore these investigations will result in a valuable model system for the study of recognition, leading to insights into general questions of how recognition works and evolves, that are not easily addressed in other organisms.