Collaborative Research: Understanding Constraints on Floral Evolution: A Phylogenetic Approach to Comparative Anthocyanin Evolution in Ruellia (Acanthaceae)

合作研究：了解花进化的限制：Ruellia（棘科）比较花青素进化的系统发育方法

• 批准号: 1355138
• 负责人: Lucinda McDade
• 金额: $ 31万
• 依托单位: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
• 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: 2014-03-15 至 2020-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1355138&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Understanding; Constraints; Floral

This project combines new approaches and methods to understand evolutionary changes in flower color in a group of plants, Ruellia (Acanthaceae), with 200+ species in the Americas. The focus is on anthocyanins (the blue to red pigments that are the most important contributors of color in flowers). Cutting edge DNA sequencing approaches will be used to study the plant biochemical pathways that produce anthocyanins. These results will be placed in an evolutionary context to understand what happens when, for example, purple flowers evolve from red-flowered ancestors. The phylogeny or family tree of Ruellia will be reconstructed using novel molecular markers to be developed for this project; these markers will subsequently be useful to numerous other researchers. Flowers are among the most common means by which people connect to nature: floral biology has great potential to engage broad audiences in science. This research is also important because it will shed light on the anthocyanins biochemical pathway. Anthocyanins contribute to numerous plant functions (e.g., pollinator and fruit disperser attraction, UV sunscreen, herbivore defense), and have also been linked to human health benefits (e.g., anti-cancer, -viral, -inflammatory, -arteriosclerosis activity; treatments for hypertension, vision disorders). Anthocyanins are common constituents of human diets, being found in frequently consumed fruits and vegetables. This research project will add substantially to knowledge of the genetic basis of anthocyanin production and will thus have implications for human health research.

该项目结合了新的方法和方法来了解美洲200多种植物Ruellia（棘科）的花色进化变化。重点是花青素（蓝色到红色的色素，是花的颜色最重要的贡献者）。尖端的DNA测序方法将用于研究植物产生花青素的生化途径。这些结果将放在一个进化的背景下，以理解发生了什么，例如，紫色的花从红色的祖先进化而来。利用本项目拟开发的新型分子标记，重建Ruellia的系统发育或家谱；这些标记随后将对许多其他研究人员有用。花是人们与自然联系的最常见方式之一：花卉生物学具有吸引广大科学受众的巨大潜力。这项研究也很重要，因为它将揭示花青素的生化途径。花青素有助于许多植物功能（例如，吸引传粉者和果实分散者，紫外线防晒，食草动物防御），并且还与人类健康益处（例如，抗癌，抗病毒，消炎，动脉硬化活性；治疗高血压，视力障碍）有关。花青素是人类饮食中常见的成分，存在于经常食用的水果和蔬菜中。这一研究项目将大大增加对花青素生产的遗传基础的认识，因此将对人类健康研究产生影响。