DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Microevolution of cell size and cell number regulation in Nasonia

生物体如何调节组织的大小和形状，以及这种调节的变化如何导致自然界中令人难以置信的形式和形状的多样性，在很大程度上仍然是一个谜。 该项目探讨了这些问题，使用一个定义明确的情况下，最近的分歧密切相关的物种在新兴的昆虫遗传模型系统，Nasonia的形态。 雄性翅膀的大小在Nasonia物种之间有很大的不同。在一个物种中，雄性的翅膀很小，雄性不能飞，而在另一个物种中，翅膀很大，雄性可以飞。影响这种性别特异性性状的主基因的结构将通过定位作图来确定。 然后，通过该基因改变翅细胞大小和数量的下游调控过程将在基因组表达实验中确定。 最后，将在不同条件下测试翅膀尺寸减小背后的适应性后果。该项目将提供关于细胞生长和复制调节的新信息，这些过程对发育至关重要，并导致癌症和糖尿病等疾病。拟议的研究将整合从遗传学到发展、分子生物学、基因组学和适应等生物学科的发现。 为研究生提供这些跨学科方法的培训，包括前往基因组生物学中心学习新方法和进行实验。 这项培训将用于开发计算遗传学的本科生实验室练习。 最后，将扩大正在进行的本科生研究指导工作，其中包括来自科学领域代表性不足的性别和族裔群体的学生。

How organisms regulate the size and shape of tissues, and how changes in this regulation lead to the incredible diversity of form and shape in nature, largely remains a mystery. This project explores these questions using a well-defined case of recent divergence in morphology between closely related species in the emerging insect genetic model system, Nasonia. The size of male wings differs dramatically between Nasonia species. In one species male wings are very small and males cannot fly, whereas in another the wings are large and males do fly. The structure of a major gene affecting this sex-specific trait will be determined by positional mapping. Then, the downstream regulatory processes through which this gene changes wing cell size and number will be identified in a genome expression experiment. Finally, the fitness consequences behind wing size reduction will be tested under different conditions.This project will provide new information on the regulation of cell growth and replication, processes that are fundamental to development and that contribute to diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The proposed studies will integrate discovery across biological disciplines, from genetics to development, molecular biology, genomics and adaptation. Training for a graduate student in these cross-disciplinary approaches is provided, including travel to a genome biology center to learn new methods and conduct experiments. This training will be used to develop undergraduate laboratory exercises in computational genetics. Finally, an ongoing undergraduate research mentoring effort, which includes students from underrepresented gender and ethnic groups in science, will be expanded.