Collaborative Research: Epigenetic Gene Regulation in the Social Bee Apis Mellifera

合作研究：社会性蜜蜂 Apis Mellifera 的表观遗传基因调控

• 批准号: 0950896
• 负责人: Soojin Yi
• 金额: $ 33.41万
• 依托单位: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-03-01 至 2014-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0950896&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Epigenetic; Gene; Regulation

Intellectual Merit: Every cell in an organism carries the same sets of genes. However different cells perform different functions because only subsets of genes are activated in each cell. One way that cells activate specific sets of genes is by chemically modifying particular pieces of DNA. This project investigates how one such modification, DNA methylation, affects development in the honeybee. Honeybees are well-known social insects and represent important species for studying DNA methylation because of their ecological and economic importance. In addition, the differentiation of honeybee castes represents one of the most spectacular examples of developmental plasticity: queens and workers arise from the same genes through differential gene activation mediated by DNA methylation. Consequently, determining how DNA methylation affects development in honeybees would help link specific molecular mechanisms to the production of different developmental forms and provide insight into the factors affecting social behavior.Broader Impacts: This project will result in several broader impacts to society. For example, undergraduate and graduate students will be trained in integrative multidisciplinary research. Research findings will also be implemented in university classes and laboratories. Moreover, research findings will be disseminated through popular press and scientific meetings thereby increasing scientific literacy. Finally, because honeybees are critical species for pollinating crops, these studies will contribute to improving agricultural outcomes in the United States.

智力优势：生物体中的每个细胞都携带相同的基因组。然而，不同的细胞执行不同的功能，因为每个细胞中只有基因的子集被激活。细胞激活特定基因组的一种方式是通过化学修饰特定的DNA片段。该项目研究了这样一种修饰，DNA甲基化，如何影响蜜蜂的发育。蜜蜂是众所周知的社会性昆虫，由于其生态和经济重要性，是研究DNA甲基化的重要物种。此外，蜜蜂种姓的分化是发育可塑性最引人注目的例子之一：蜂王和工蜂通过DNA甲基化介导的差异基因激活来自相同的基因。因此，确定DNA甲基化如何影响蜜蜂的发育将有助于将特定的分子机制与不同发育形式的产生联系起来，并深入了解影响社会行为的因素。例如，本科生和研究生将接受综合多学科研究的培训。研究结果也将在大学课堂和实验室中实施。此外，将通过大众媒体和科学会议传播研究成果，从而提高科学素养。最后，由于蜜蜂是作物授粉的关键物种，这些研究将有助于改善美国的农业成果。