Collaborative Research: Genes, environment and gene expression in a wild primate population

合作研究：野生灵长类动物种群中的基因、环境和基因表达

• 批准号: 0846532
• 负责人: Jeanne Altmann
• 金额: $ 35.84万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0846532&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Genes; environment; gene

Understanding the expression and evolution of complex traits requires, among other things, measuring the genetic variation that underlies these traits. This in turn requires an understanding of the interplay between genes, the environment, and the traits an organism displays, specifically the nature of gene by environment interactions (GEIs). GEIs arise when two different genotypes respond differently to a change in the environment. Surprisingly little is known about GEIs in natural populations, although GEIs are pervasive in all known organisms, including humans. This project will address this gap by examining multiple aspects of GEIs in a wild mammal population. The project takes advantage of a long-term field study of wild baboons in the Amboseli basin in southern Kenya, in which individually known animals have been under continuous observation for 38 years. The investigators will test hypotheses about the ways in which GEIs influence variation in traits of adult baboons, and the manner in which GEIs affect standing genetic variation. The proposed project will continue and extend the investigators' long history of training American and Kenyan students. The project will generate several unique data sets that will be of interest to the wider scientific community, and which are available for no other natural primate population. In addition, PIs have shared the design and implementation of their comprehensive long term database (BABASE) with a number of other scientists, and have also developed a website for the research project (www.princeton.edu/~baboon) which serves as a vehicle for providing information and data to the public.

理解复杂性状的表达和进化需要测量这些性状背后的遗传变异。这反过来又需要理解基因、环境和生物体表现出的特征之间的相互作用，特别是通过环境相互作用（GEIs）了解基因的本质。当两种不同的基因型对环境变化的反应不同时，就会出现基因变异。令人惊讶的是，尽管gei普遍存在于包括人类在内的所有已知生物中，但人们对自然种群中的gei知之甚少。该项目将通过研究野生哺乳动物种群中gei的多个方面来解决这一差距。该项目利用了对肯尼亚南部安博塞利盆地野生狒狒的长期实地研究，在该研究中，对已知的单个动物进行了38年的连续观察。研究人员将测试关于gei影响成年狒狒性状变异的方式的假设，以及gei影响站立遗传变异的方式。拟议中的项目将继续并扩展调查人员培训美国和肯尼亚学生的悠久历史。该项目将产生几个独特的数据集，这些数据集将引起更广泛的科学界的兴趣，并且没有其他自然灵长类动物种群可用。此外，pi还与许多其他科学家分享了其综合长期数据库（BABASE）的设计和实施，并为该研究项目开发了一个网站（www.princeton.edu/~baboon），作为向公众提供信息和数据的工具。