Doctoral Dissertation Research: Unraveling the evolutionary mechanisms associated with miniaturization

博士论文研究：揭示与小型化相关的进化机制

• 批准号: 2120691
• 负责人: Luca Pozzi
• 金额: $ 2.69万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at San Antonio
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2120691&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Unraveling; evolutionary

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Extreme reductions in body size evolved multiple times within the primate tree-of-life, a process thought to provide evidence of convergent evolution. This doctoral dissertation research project compares whole-genomes of various species to examine the evolutionary processes and biological mechanisms explaining body size reduction in primates. The project leverages historical museum collections to generate novel whole genomes of primate species that fill important gaps in genomic databases. All data generated in this study will be made publicly available to provide additional research opportunities beyond the scope of this project. Outcomes of this research contribute to the understanding of primate genetic architecture, thus allowing a better contextualization of human genomic variation in an evolutionary framework. Moreover, this project extends bioinformatics training opportunities and accessibility of students from historically underrepresented groups. Convergent evolution provides compelling evidence that similar ecological circumstances can lead to similar evolutionary solutions. However, the role of natural selection in primate size reduction remains largely speculative, especially when it comes to understanding how adaptation occurs at the molecular level. It is not clear if all small-sized primates evolved such diminutive body size via changes in the same genetic mechanisms, or if changes in different combinations of genes and regulatory sequences could lead to similar outcomes. To address these standing questions, the investigators will compare whole-genome sequences of pairs of miniaturized and non-miniaturized species to access the degree of similarity at the molecular level and the pace of molecular evolution. This research specifically examines: (1) whether small-sized species share the same genetic underpinnings; (2) evidence of selection acting in protein-coding regions related to size reduction in primates. Results will inform a more general understanding of how bodily variation arises over evolutionary history.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.

该奖项是根据2021年《美国救援计划法》（公法117-2）全部或部分资助的。在灵长类动物的生活树中，体型降低了多次，这一过程被认为提供了融合进化的证据。该博士学位论文研究项目比较了各种物种的全基因组，以检查解释灵长类动物体型减少的进化过程和生物学机制。该项目利用历史博物馆的收藏来产生灵长类动物物种的新型基因组，这些基因组填补了基因组数据库中的重要空白。本研究中生成的所有数据将公开使用，以提供超出该项目范围的其他研究机会。这项研究的结果有助于理解灵长类动物的遗传结构，从而使人类基因组变异在进化框架中更好地化。此外，该项目扩展了来自历史悠久代表性不足的群体的学生的生物信息学培训机会和可访问性。融合进化提供了令人信服的证据，表明类似的生态环境可以导致类似的进化溶液。然而，自然选择在灵长类动物尺寸减少中的作用仍然很大程度上投机，尤其是在了解如何在分子水平上发生适应性时。目前尚不清楚所有小型灵长类动物是否通过相同的遗传机制的变化演变出这种小小的身体大小，或者基因和调节序列的不同组合的变化是否会导致相似的结果。为了解决这些常规问题，研究人员将比较一对小型化和非微型化物种成对的全基因组序列，以获取分子水平和分子进化的速度的相似程度。这项研究专门研究：（1）小物种是否具有相同的遗传基础； （2）选择作用于蛋白质编码区域的证据与灵长类动物的尺寸降低有关。结果将为人们对进化史的身体变异产生更一般的了解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的审查标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。

项目成果

Evolutionary deja-vus: Why did size reduction evolve multiple times within primates?

进化似曾相识：为什么灵长类动物的体型缩小会多次进化？

• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: American journal of physical anthropology
• 影响因子: 2.8
• 作者: Penna, A;Herrera, JP;Pozzi, L
• 通讯作者: Pozzi, L