EDGE: Enabling functional genomics in monkeyflowers (Mimulus)

生物学的一个基本目标是了解影响生物在自然环境中生态成功和适应的基因和发育过程。从历史上看，对生态重要表型的机制理解仅限于极少数模式生物中的少量基因。这项研究将改进野生花属（猴花）的遗传工具，这是一个在形态、生理和生活史上表现出丰富多样性的系统。通过将这种多样性与功能遗传分析和现场实验联系起来，该研究将使以前未探索的表型变异的分子遗传学研究成为可能。有了这里提出的工具，不断增长的Mimulus科学界将处于一个极好的位置，以确定生态重要性状的因果遗传机制。这项研究将为佐治亚大学和加州大学河滨分校的两门不同的本科实验课程提供动手学习的机会。此外，该研究将为格鲁吉亚当地高中教师提供培训经验，以开发和完善实验室活动，以便在高中课堂上传播。此外，本研究中产生的植物材料将被纳入康涅狄格大学的学生和公众教育活动中。最后，这些活动将通过“学习”的植物生物学部分广泛传播。“遗传学”网站作为在线教育资源。确定自然表型变异的遗传和发育决定因素对于理解生物生物学和产生生物多样性的过程至关重要。含羞草属是一个异常多样化的群体，大约有200种野花，拥有丰富的自然种群，非常适合将自然发生的基因型与其重要的生态表型联系起来。该研究将使Mimulus成为生态功能基因组学和植物发育遗传学的一个强大的新模型。具体的科学目标如下：1)优化7种拟态物种的遗传转化方案，这些物种被许多研究者积极研究，代表了广泛的系统发育多样性。2)为三个研究最活跃的物种建立大规模的化学和转座子插入突变文库。此外，该研究的一个主要目标是使Mimulus研究人员能够充分利用自己实验室中新开发的功能基因组学协议和资源。该项目包括每年一次为期一周的夏季实验室短期课程，该课程将在康涅狄格大学和乔治亚大学之间轮流进行。该项目还将包括一个网站，用于传播详细的说明和方案的视频教程，以及一个可搜索的数据库，其中载有关于植物品系、种子库存和这项工作产生的其他重要工具的信息。该奖项由通过基因组工具实现发现（EDGE）计划和环境生物学部门的进化过程计划共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A fundamental goal in biology is to understand the genes and developmental processes that affect ecological success and adaptation of organisms in natural environments. Historically, a mechanistic understanding of ecologically important phenotypes has been limited to a small number of genes in very few model organisms. The research will improve genetic tools in the wildflower genus Mimulus (monkeyflowers), a system that exhibits rich diversity in form, physiology, and life history. By connecting this diversity with functional genetic analysis and field experiments, the research will enable molecular genetic investigations of previously unexplored of phenotypic variation. With the tools proposed here, the growing Mimulus scientific community will be in an excellent position to identify the causal genetic mechanisms underlying ecologically important traits. The research will provide hands-on learning opportunities for two different undergraduate laboratory courses taught at University of Georgia and University of California, Riverside. In addition, the research will offer training experiences for local high school teachers in Georgia to develop and refine lab activities for dissemination in the high school classroom. Furthermore, the plant materials generated in this research will be incorporated into live plant outreach activities at the University of Connecticut for student and public education. Finally, the actives will be broadly disseminated via the Plant Biology section on the "Learn.Genetics" website as online educational resources.Identifying the genetic and developmental determinants of natural phenotypic variation is fundamentally important for understanding organismal biology and the processes that generate biodiversity. The genus Mimulus is an exceptionally diverse group of approximately 200 wildflower species with abundant natural populations that is ideally suited for linking naturally occurring genotypes to their ecologically important phenotypes. The research will enable Mimulus as a powerful new model for ecological functional genomics and plant developmental genetics. The specific scientific objectives are as follows: 1) Optimize genetic transformation protocols in seven Mimulus species that are actively studied by many researchers and represent a wide range of phylogenetic diversity. 2) Generate large-scale chemical and transposon insertion mutant libraries for three of the most actively studied species. Additionally, a major goal of the research is to enable Mimulus researchers to take full advantage of the newly developed functional genomics protocols and resources in their own labs. This project includes an annual, weeklong summer lab short course that will rotate between the University of Connecticut and the University of Georgia. The project will also include a website to disseminate detailed instructions and video tutorials of protocols, as well as a searchable database with information on plant lines, seed stocks, and other important tools generated from this work.This award was co-funded by funds from Enabling Discovery through GEnomic Tools (EDGE) Program and the Evolutionary Process Program within the Division of Environmental Biology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.