Developmental mechanisms conferring an adaptive transition in the evolution of compound eyes

发育机制赋予复眼进化过程中的适应性转变

• 批准号: 1353267
• 负责人: Andrew Zelhof
• 金额: $ 51万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-15 至 2018-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1353267&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Developmental; mechanisms; conferring; adaptive; transition

Animal visual systems vary greatly in morphological form. Development of differences in eye morphology are driven by a need to adapt to the light conditions that an animal experiences and also by the animal's behaviors and survival response repertoire. Understanding the many functional blueprints for designing ways to see and the genes required for these designs will have a direct impact on our basic knowledge regarding the comparative biology of visual systems. Additionally, this work has the potential to deepen our understanding of our own human eyes and also to reveal fundamental design principles for generating artificial systems for light detection and seeing. This study will compare and determine the variations in gene activity that contribute to the differences in morphological form and light sensitivities of eyes in two closely related insect species. The project will integrate research activities with academic programs established at Indiana University that encourage the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines. Additionally, it will provide training for teachers to enable them to develop new curriculum and methodology to improve science literacy in elementary and high schools.The individual rhabdomeres of photoreceptors of apposition compound eyes are organized in a "fused/closed" rhabdom configuration in the ommatidia of the flour beetle, Tribolium, or in an "open/separated" rhabdom configuration in the ommatidia of the fruit fly, Drosophila. The studies in this award will focus on how conserved cellular processes are modified to produce these kinds of adaptive transitions within the constraints of constructing a functional tissue. The three objectives of this study are designed to 1), ascertain the spatial and temporal expression profiles of the Tribolium homologs of the Drosophila proteins known to be required for the generation of open rhabdoms; 2), address the functional consequence of the absence or presence of these proteins in Tribolium; and 3), develop and apply the use of TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) to generate null mutations in Tribolium with the goal of testing genetic relationships between the genes investigated in objectives 1 and 2. Overall this investigation will provide fundamental insights into how conserved cellular mechanisms are adapted, modified, or eliminated to generate novel and adaptive morphological organizations.

动物的视觉系统在形态上有很大的差异。 眼睛形态差异的发展是由动物需要适应所经历的光条件以及动物的行为和生存反应库驱动的。了解设计视觉方式的许多功能蓝图以及这些设计所需的基因将对我们关于视觉系统比较生物学的基础知识产生直接影响。 此外，这项工作有可能加深我们对人类眼睛的理解，并揭示生成用于光检测和观看的人工系统的基本设计原理。 这项研究将比较和确定基因活性的变化，有助于在两个密切相关的昆虫物种的眼睛的形态和光敏感性的差异。 该项目将把研究活动与印第安纳州大学设立的学术项目相结合，鼓励代表性不足的少数民族参与STEM学科。 此外，它还将为教师提供培训，使他们能够制定新的课程和方法，以提高小学和中学的科学素养。并置复眼的光感受器的个人的横纹组织在一个“融合/关闭”的横纹配置在面粉甲虫，拟谷盗，或在一个“开放/分离”的横纹配置在小眼的果蝇，果蝇。该奖项的研究将集中在如何修改保守的细胞过程，以在构建功能组织的限制内产生这些适应性转变。 本研究的三个目的是：1）确定已知果蝇蛋白质的Tribolium同源物的空间和时间表达谱，所述蛋白质是产生开放的横纹肌所必需的; 2）解决这些蛋白质在Tribolium中的缺失或存在的功能后果;和3），开发和应用TAL效应物核酸酶（TALEN）的用途以在拟谷盗属中产生无效突变，目的是测试目的1和2中研究的基因之间的遗传关系。 总的来说，这项调查将提供基本的见解保守的细胞机制是如何适应，修改，或消除产生新的和自适应的形态组织。

项目成果

A mosaic of independent innovations involving eyes shut are critical for the evolutionary transition from fused to open rhabdoms

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.09.016
• 发表时间: 2018-11-15
• 期刊: DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Mahato，Simpla;Nie，Jing;Zelhof，Andrew C.
• 通讯作者: Zelhof，Andrew C.