Evolutionary Genomics of Long Intergenic Non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) in Drosophila

非编码rna的重要性在广泛的生物过程中变得越来越明显，但它们仍然是一个相对较新的话题，它们的功能和进化的许多方面仍然知之甚少。在非编码rna中，长基因间非编码rna （linc）可能是最不为人所知的，但它们在剂量补偿、胚胎发育、干细胞维持和分化以及表观遗传表达调控中发挥作用。本研究的重点是拟果蝇和persimilis果蝇的lincrna。RNA-seq将用于记录发育过程中lincRNA表达的变化，这些数据将用于评估lincRNA序列和表达模式的差异。具体目的如下：1 .利用RNAseq数据鉴定d.p aboobscura转录组中的lincrna；2 .研究假眼豆科和persimilis中lincRNA的表达模式，重点关注那些差异表达的lincRNA；使用表达和序列数据比较种内多态性水平与种间差异水平，并比较lincrna模式与蛋白质编码基因模式。更广泛的影响包括为高中学生和教师提供暑期研究经验。参与者的选择将与该地区的少数民族高中合作完成，并将由马里兰大学系统的数学和科学伙伴关系拨款提供便利。本科生的研究机会也将被提供，招聘部分将通过马里兰大学完成，部分将通过巴拿马的史密森尼热带研究所完成。

The importance of non-coding RNAs is becoming increasingly apparent for a wide range of biological processes, but they are still a relatively new topic, and many aspects of their function and evolution remain poorly understood. Long intergenic non-coding (linc) RNAs are perhaps least understood among the non coding RNAs, yet they are known to play roles in dosage compensation, embryonic development, stem cell maintenance and differentiation, and epigenetic regulation of expression. The proposed work is focused on lincRNAs across the species Drosophila pseudoobscura and Drosophila persimilis. RNA-seq will be used to catalog changes in lincRNA expression during development, and these data will be used to evaluate divergence in lincRNA sequence and expression patterns.The specific aims are the following: 1-Identify the lincRNAs in the D. pseudoobscura transcriptome using RNAseq data; 2-Characterize patterns of lincRNA expression in D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis, with a focus on those lincRNAs that are differentially expressed; 3-Compare levels of intraspecific polymorphism to levels of interspecific divergence using expression and sequence data, and complare patterns for lincRNAs to patterns of protein-coding genes.Broader Impacts include a summer research experience for high school students and teachers. Participant selection will be done in collaboration with minority high schools in the area, and will be facilitated by a Math and Science Partnership grant to the University System of Maryland. Undergraduate research opportunities will also be provided, and recruitment will be done partly through the University of Maryland and partly through the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.