DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Systematics of the Order Brassicales and Family Brassicaceae, and comparative genomic analyses (nuclear and organellar genomes): a phylogenomic approach

目前对拟南芥目（包括大约4550个物种，模式植物拟南芥和许多经济上重要的作物物种）中物种之间的进化关系知之甚少。这些关系的知识是需要解释丰富的基因组，发育和生理数据可用于这一组在进化的背景下。这项研究将解决系统发育关系的目的apericales利用数百个基因座编码的核，线粒体和叶绿体基因组。此外，本项目还将调查每个基因组区室的多样化率和进化（即细胞核和细胞器基因组）-包括基因组大小，基因含量栽培的和野生的油菜目物种具有许多新的性状和化学特性，包括生物抗性，对作物改良具有巨大的价值（例如昆虫、真菌和线虫）和非生物胁迫耐受性（例如干旱、冷冻和重金属）。此外，该植物群还具有有益于人类健康的新化学成分，包括治疗心血管疾病和高血压。这项研究将增强我们对哪些物种共享这些有益的新生物化学和特征的理解，并表征潜在的生物合成途径。最终，这一框架将使这些性状成为药物的目标，并改善作物。

The evolutionary relationships amongst species in the order Brassicales (which includes approximately 4550 species, the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, and many economically important crop species), are currently poorly known. Knowledge of these relationships is required to interpret the wealth of genomic, developmental, and physiological data available for this group within an evolutionary context. This study will resolve the phylogenetic relationships within the order Brassicales utilizing hundreds of loci encoded across the nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast genomes. In addition, this project will investigate diversification rates and the evolution of each genome compartment (i.e. nuclear and organellar genomes) -- including genome size, gene content (e.g. gene loss and duplications, novel gene functions), and genome structure.Cultivated and wild Brassicales species possess numerous novel traits and chemistries with enormous value to crop improvement, including biotic resistances (e.g. insects, fungi, and nematodes) and abiotic stress tolerances (e.g. drought, freezing, and heavy metals). In addition, this plant group shares novel chemistries that are beneficial to human health, including treatments for cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. This research will enhance our understanding of which species share these beneficial novel biochemistries and traits, and characterizing the underlying biosynthetic pathways. Ultimately, this framework will allow these traits to be targeted for pharmaceuticals and to improve crops.