The Role of Gene Duplication in Resolving Sexually Antagonistic Selection in Drosophila

性选择是进化的主要驱动力，通常会导致男性和女性之间截然不同的特征。最近，人们已经清楚地看到，基因复制也是进化多样化的一个重要因素。本研究旨在了解年轻的基因副本如何在性拮抗选择下进化性别特异性的基本功能。男性和女性，虽然分享他们的大部分DNA，满足不同的功能需求的繁殖和生存。对具有共同遗传基础的性状进行性选择可能会对两性产生相反的影响，导致性冲突（SC），这可能会降低适应性，直到新的遗传变化解决冲突。该项目以果蝇为模式生物，提出了基因复制是解决性冲突的有效机制的假设。为了实现这些目标，博士后，研究生，本科生和高中生将接受分子和进化生物学的培训。该项目还将与伊利诺伊州数学和科学学院合作，通过讲座和暑期实习让不同的高中生参与研究。该项目的重点是果蝇中最近复制的一对基因（Apl和Arts），这对基因在两性中具有相反的健身效果。蛋白质序列的功能进化将被表征，以了解蛋白质分歧在缓解性冲突中的作用。然后，Apl和Arts所源自的祖先基因将被计算重建和实验合成。然后，将使用基因编辑技术创建一系列工程果蝇品系，其中不同版本的合成祖先基因取代含有Apl和Arts的野生型基因位点。不同调控区的构建体表达的差异将揭示它们在缓解性冲突中的作用。复制介导的SC分辨率模型的一般性将通过使用基因敲除和拯救分析检查最近的基因重复与性别互补的表达模式的分数进行测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Sexual selection is a major driver of evolution, often resulting in drastically different characteristics between males and females. Recently it has become clear that gene duplication is also a powerful contributor to evolutionary diversification. This research seeks to understand how young gene duplicates evolve sex-specific essential functions under sexually antagonistic selection. Males and females, while sharing most of their DNA, satisfy different functional requirements for reproduction and survival. Sexual selection on traits with a shared genetic basis can have opposing effects in the two sexes, causing sexual conflict (SC) that may reduce fitness until the conflict is resolved by new genetic changes. This project addresses the hypothesis that gene duplication is an effective mechanism to resolve sexual conflict, using the fruit fly as a convenient model organism. In pursuing these aims, postdocs, graduates, undergraduates and high school students will be trained in molecular and evolutionary biology. The project will also partner with the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy to involve diverse high school students in the research through lectures and summer internships.This project focuses on a pair of recently duplicated genes (Apl and Arts) in Drosophila that have opposing fitness effects in the two sexes. The functional evolution in the protein sequences will be characterized to understand the role of protein divergence in mitigation of sexual conflict. The ancestral gene from which Apl and Arts were derived will then be computationally reconstructed and experimentally synthesized. A series of engineered Drosophila strains will then be created using gene editing technology, with different versions of the synthesized ancestral gene replacing the wildtype gene locus which harbors Apl and Arts. Divergence in expression of constructs with different regulatory regions will reveal their role in mitigating sexual conflict. The generality of the duplication-mediated SC resolution model will be tested by examining a score of recent gene duplicates with sex complementary expression patterns using gene knockout and rescue analyses.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.