COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Genomic consequences of recent and ancient allopolyploidy: a continuum of ages in Tragopogon (Asteraceae)

关于基因组加倍（多倍体）后基因进化命运的大部分了解都是基于几种已有数千年历史的作物和仅几代历史的合成多倍体。该项目将研究一个非常令人惊讶的发现，即同源基因在多倍体化后迅速丢失，而不是被沉默或其他调控变化。他们想知道是否存在关于哪些基因或更大的基因组片段优先丢失的一般规则。这很重要，因为之前的发现来自合成多倍体和最近的天然多倍体（100 年）。植物属 Tragopogon（山羊须，属于向日葵科）提供了一个独特的机会来研究自然界中多倍体化后在不同年龄阶段发生的变化。黄角角包含二倍体、只有60-80年历史的天然多倍体、合成多倍体和更古老的欧亚多倍体。这项研究将调查一种较古老（0.8 -280 万年前，mya）的天然多倍体，以便与最近形成的多倍体进行比较；它还延伸到向日葵家族历史早期的一个古老的多倍体事件（30 mya）。基因组加倍（多倍体）产生了生命的大部分多样性。所有脊椎动物和开花植物都至少经历过一次古代多倍体，许多农作物也是多倍体。因此，阐明多倍体的后果将增强我们对生命多样化的理解，并提供有关作物基因组的基础知识。结果将为了解大部分生命和大多数农作物的产生过程提供重要见解。此外，该项目还将培训本科生和研究生以及博士后学者，并包括面向公众的推广活动。

Much of what is known about the evolutionary fate of genes following genome doubling (polyploidy) is based on several crops that are thousands of years old and synthetic polyploids that are only several generations old. This project will investigate the very surprising finding that homeologous genes are lost rapidly after polyploidization, rather than being silenced or other regulatory changes. They want to know if there are general rules about which genes or larger pieces of genomes are preferentially lost. This is important because previous findings were from synthetic polyploids and recent natural polyploids (100 years). The plant genus Tragopogon (goatsbeard, in the sunflower family) provides a unique opportunity to investigate changes that occur following polyploidy in nature across a range of ages. Tragopogon contains diploids, natural polyploids that are only 60-80 years old, synthetic polyploids, and older Eurasian polyploids. This study will investigate an older (0.8 -2.8 million years ago, mya) natural polyploid for comparison with the recently formed polyploids; it also extends to an ancient polyploidy event (30 mya) early in the history of the sunflower family. Genome doubling (polyploidy) has generated much of the diversity of life. All vertebrates and flowering plants experienced at least one episode of ancient polyploidy, and many crops are polyploids. Hence, elucidating the consequences of polyploidy will enhance our understanding of the diversification of life and provide fundamental knowledge about crop genomes. Results will provide important insights into the processes that generated much of life and most crops. In addition, the project will train undergraduate and graduate students, and a post-doctoral scholar, as well as including outreach activities to the general public.