Phylogenomics of polyploidy in the Brassicales

芸苔目多倍体的系统发育学

• 批准号: 1146603
• 负责人: Joseph Pires
• 金额: $ 46.88万
• 依托单位: University of Missouri-Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-02-01 至 2016-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1146603&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Phylogenomics; polyploidy; Brassicales

Improving crop plants can be accomplished by creating hybrids. Some hybrids, like mules, are sterile, because the parents have different chromosome numbers. In plants, some sterile hybrids can become fertile when their chromosome number is doubled, a process called polyploidy. Many important crop plants, such as alfalfa, cotton, potato, and wheat are recent polyploids while others, such as maize, soybean, and cabbage, retain the vestiges of ancient polyploid events. This project will investigate how polyploidy can give rise to novel traits, such as the resistance to insects, in the order Brassicales (broccoli, mustards, capers, papaya, and relatives). The investigators of this project have developed new phylogenomics methods that allow one to understand the evolutionary history of how species are related while simultaneously determining whether or not they are polyploid.At a time when rapid global changes are placing unprecedented pressure on plants in agricultural and natural landscapes, it is imperative that scientists think beyond a single discipline. Phylogenomics has emerged as an interdisciplinary approach in the biological sciences; however, there are few opportunities to learn the genomic and bioinformatics tools becoming required in biology. To address this gap, this project will develop modules for undergraduate courses; create an interdisciplinary research environment that uses computational methods; and engage in outreach to systematic biologists by annual workshops. All research proposed here involves recruiting and mentoring students from underrepresented groups.

改良作物可以通过杂交来实现。有些混血儿，比如骡子，是不育的，因为父母有不同的染色体数目。在植物中，一些不育的杂交种在染色体数量翻倍时可以变得可育，这一过程被称为多倍体。许多重要的农作物，如苜蓿、棉花、马铃薯和小麦是近代的多倍体，而其他作物，如玉米、大豆和卷心菜，则保留了古代多倍体事件的痕迹。该项目将研究多倍体如何产生新的性状，如抗虫性，在芸苔目（西兰花、芥菜、刺山柑、木瓜等）。该项目的研究人员已经开发了新的系统基因组学方法，使人们能够了解物种是如何相互关联的进化史，同时确定它们是否是多倍体。当快速的全球变化给农业和自然景观中的植物带来前所未有的压力时，科学家们必须超越单一学科进行思考。系统基因组学已经成为生物科学中的一种跨学科方法；然而，很少有机会学习基因组学和生物信息学工具成为生物学所必需的。为了解决这一差距，该项目将开发本科课程模块；创建一个使用计算方法的跨学科研究环境；并通过年度研讨会与系统生物学家进行接触。这里提出的所有研究都涉及从代表性不足的群体中招募和指导学生。