DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Origin and Evolution of Recently Gained Introns in Daphnia Populations

论文研究：水蚤种群中最近获得的内含子的起源和进化

• 批准号: 1011419
• 负责人: Michael Lynch
• 金额: $ 1.49万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-06-01 至 2012-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1011419&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Origin; Evolution; Recently

Introns are noncoding DNA sequences that interrupt genes in higher organisms, and are removed prior to the manufacture of a protein. Some species have just a couple of introns in their entire genome, and others have many introns inserted into almost every gene. The causes of these differences are unknown despite much prior work on the subject, and solving the problem remains a major challenge for evolutionary genetics. Currently, we know very little about how new introns arise; this is because in nearly all species that have been studied, all the introns are of ancient origin. Active loss and gain of introns is known in only one species, the waterflea Daphnia pulex. The PIs will conduct genomic analyses of this species and a related one in which introns are stable. They will use extensive surveys of populations at the genomic level to learn where the new introns come from, the mechanisms of insertion, whether newly inserted introns persist, and rates at which new introns arise and are lost. This project has a high likelihood of substantially improving our understanding of the origin, mechanisms, and fates of new introns in Daphnia - results that will be applicable to higher organisms in general. The PIs will mentor undergraduates through independent supervised projects using molecular bench work and bioinformatic analyses, as well as giving the students opportunities to develop communication skills. This research will also provide opportunities for international collaboration.

内含子是在高等生物中中断基因的非编码DNA序列，并且在制造蛋白质之前被去除。有些物种的整个基因组中只有几个内含子，而另一些物种的几乎每个基因中都插入了许多内含子。这些差异的原因是未知的，尽管以前对这个问题的研究很多，解决这个问题仍然是进化遗传学的一个主要挑战。目前，我们对新的内含子是如何产生的知之甚少;这是因为在几乎所有被研究的物种中，所有的内含子都是古老的起源。内含子的主动丢失和获得只在一个物种中已知，即蚤状水蚤。PI将对该物种和内含子稳定的相关物种进行基因组分析。他们将在基因组水平上对人群进行广泛的调查，以了解新内含子的来源，插入机制，新插入的内含子是否持续存在，以及新内含子出现和丢失的速率。这个项目有很大的可能性，大大提高我们的理解的起源，机制和命运的新内含子在水蚤-结果将适用于高等生物一般。PI将通过独立的监督项目使用分子工作台和生物信息学分析指导本科生，并为学生提供发展沟通技能的机会。这项研究还将为国际合作提供机会。