EDGE CMT: Evolutionary developmental systems genetics of obligate sterility in ants

生物学的一个主要目标是了解基因组和发育之间的联系，以及进化是如何利用这些机制来产生生命多样性的。蚂蚁为探索这些主题和相关主题提供了强大的研究系统，因为它们在物种内和物种之间显示出惊人的多样性。蚂蚁社会的一个决定性特征是存在生殖种姓制度，在这种制度下，一些被称为蚁后的个体专门从事繁殖，而其他被称为工蚁的个体专门从事其他任务。在大多数物种中，工蚁的生殖器官减少，在某些情况下(如女王死亡)能够繁殖，但在其他物种中，工蚁完全没有生殖器官。这种专性工蜂不育在蚂蚁中至少进化了14次，但人们对这种专性不育表达的分子机制知之甚少，也不知道这种专性不育在每个独立的不育起源中的机制是否相同。本研究的总体目标是阐明蚂蚁专性不育性表达和进化的机制，并进一步验证影响果蝇不育性发展的基因的作用。我们的研究可能为调节动物生殖和生殖健康的保守遗传途径提供新的见解。这项研究的进一步更广泛的影响将是培训学生和研究人员研究发育的遗传基础和进化的方法，努力提高公众对进化和发育的理解，并努力增加学生对科学的参与。生物学的一个主要目标是了解将基因组与表型联系起来的机制，以及进化如何产生并修补这些调控机制，以产生生命的多样性。一个引人注目的表型是在群居昆虫中存在一个必然不育的工种，这种工种在蚂蚁中至少进化了14次，但人们对潜在的调控网络以及这种趋同的表型进化是涉及汇聚的分子进化还是平行的分子进化知之甚少。这项研究的总体目标是使用一种综合的方法来阐明蚂蚁专性不育症表达和进化的基因调控网络。蚂蚁提供了一个难得的机会来研究不育和不育是如何在其社会背景下进化的，将个体生殖系的丧失与不育工种的群体水平的获得联系起来。生物体内的生殖体区别是多细胞生命的基础，而生殖系隔离是动物发育的重要一步。这项研究可能有助于理解与动物发育和细胞类型起源相关的一般原理和分子途径。此外，这项研究可能提供新的候选基因和途径，调节与生殖和生殖健康相关的一系列复杂表型，以便在模式生物中进一步研究。该资助的更广泛影响包括培训学生和博士后研究人员研究发育的遗传基础和进化方法，努力提高公众对进化和发展的理解，以及努力增加学生在STEM领域的参与。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A major goal of Biology is to understand the links between genomes and development and how evolution has tinkered with these mechanisms to produce the diversity of life. Ants provide powerful study systems for exploring these and related topics because they show striking diversity within and between species. A defining feature of ant societies is the presence of a reproductive caste system where some individuals called queens specialize on reproduction and other individuals called workers specialize on other tasks. In most species, workers possess reduced reproductive organs and are capable of reproduction under certain circumstances (e.g., queen death), but in other species, workers completely lack reproductive organs. Such obligate worker sterility has evolved at least 14 times across ants, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating the expression of this obligate sterility or whether the mechanisms are the same across each of the independent origins of sterility. The overall goal of this research is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the expression and evolution of obligate sterility in ants and to further validate the effects of genes influencing the development of sterility in fruit flies. Our research may provide novel insight into conserved genetic pathways regulating animal reproduction and reproductive health. Further broader impacts of the research will be training students and researchers in approaches to study the genetic basis and evolution of development, working to improve public understanding of evolution and development, and working to increase student participation in science. A major goal of Biology is to understand the mechanisms linking genomes to phenotypes and how evolution generates and tinkers with these regulatory mechanisms to produce the diversity of life. One striking phenotype is the presence of an obligately sterile worker caste in social insects, which has evolved at least 14 times in ants, yet little is known about the underlying regulatory networks and whether this convergent phenotypic evolution involves convergent or parallel molecular evolution. The overall goal of this research is to use an integrative approach to elucidate the gene regulatory networks underlying the expression and evolution of obligate sterility in ants. Ants provide a rare opportunity to study how infertility and sterility evolved within the context of their societies, connecting individual germline loss to colony-level gain of a sterile worker caste. The germ-soma distinction within organisms is fundamental to multicellular life, and germline sequestration is a fundamentally important step in animal development. This research may contribute to understanding general principles and molecular pathways associated with animal development and the origin of cell types. Moreover, the research may provide novel candidate genes and pathways regulating a range of complex phenotypes associated with reproduction, reproductive health, to be further studied in model organisms. Further broader impacts of the grant include training students and postdoctoral researchers in approaches to study the genetic basis and evolution of development, working to improve public understanding of evolution and development, and working to increase student participation in STEM fields.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.