DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The evolutionary recruitment of effector genes into a novel sensory system

论文研究：效应基因的进化招募到新型感觉系统中

• 批准号: 1601130
• 负责人: Artyom Kopp
• 金额: $ 2万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2018-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1601130&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; evolutionary; recruitment; effector

The fruit fly Drosophila prolongata exhibits a unique set of sensory organs on the front legs. This study examines the genomics of their cells to learn how a group of genes is recruited to form a new specialized cell type. Distinct types of tissues and cells are differentiated by which genes are expressed. Cells produce their varied functions by turning the genes necessary for these roles on, while keeping other genes off. Errors in the expression of genes is one cause of developmental disorders and other diseases, yet the mechanisms of expression control are still not well understood. Observing the patterns of the recruitment process will illustrate how a new cell type evolves, how gene expression is controlled in different types of cells and tissue, and why expression control breaks down. This research will expand the training of a graduate student, who also leads public outreach activities at his university and provides research experiences for high school students and undergraduates. To study the gene recruitment process, the evolutionary history of genes expressed in the novel sensory organs of Drosophila prolongata will be inferred. The mRNA from forelegs of this and several closely related species will be sequenced. The gene sequences present in the mRNA reflect which genes are expressed. These will be filtered based on similarity to sequences of known sensory genes; those present only in D. prolongata samples represent genes that have acquired new tissue specificity. These genes will be compared to related genes in other fly species, including the well-studied D. melanogaster, to determine what characteristics make genes more malleable to expression shifts. The evolutionary patterns reflect naturally occurring variation and suggest mechanisms of creating expression control, factors relevant to gene regulation in other organisms.

果蝇在前腿上展示了一套独特的感觉器官。这项研究检查了它们细胞的基因组学，以了解一组基因是如何被招募来形成一种新的专门细胞类型的。不同类型的组织和细胞根据基因表达的不同而不同。细胞通过开启这些角色所需的基因，同时关闭其他基因，来产生不同的功能。基因表达错误是导致发育障碍和其他疾病的原因之一，但表达调控的机制仍不清楚。观察招募过程的模式将阐明一种新的细胞类型是如何进化的，基因表达是如何在不同类型的细胞和组织中受到控制的，以及为什么表达控制会崩溃。这项研究将扩大对研究生的培训，该研究生还在他所在的大学领导公共宣传活动，并为高中生和本科生提供研究经验。为了研究基因募集过程，可以推断延寿果蝇新感觉器官中表达基因的进化历史。将对这一物种和几个近缘物种前腿的mrna进行测序。信使核糖核酸中的基因序列反映了哪些基因得到了表达。这些基因将根据与已知感觉基因序列的相似性进行筛选；那些只存在于延寿金藻样本中的基因代表获得了新的组织特异性的基因。这些基因将与其他果蝇物种的相关基因进行比较，包括研究得很好的黑腹果蝇，以确定哪些特征使基因更容易适应表达变化。进化模式反映了自然发生的变异，并提出了创造表达控制的机制，即与其他生物体的基因调控相关的因素。