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

EDGE CMT：蚂蚁专性不育的进化发育系统遗传学

• 批准号: 2128304
• 负责人: Timothy Linksvayer
• 金额: $ 130万
• 依托单位: Texas Tech University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2024-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2128304&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EDGE; CMT; Evolutionary; developmental; systems

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.

生物学的一个主要目标是了解基因组和发育之间的联系，以及进化如何与这些机制进行修补以产生生命的多样性。蚂蚁为探索这些和相关主题提供了强大的研究系统，因为它们在物种内部和物种之间表现出惊人的多样性。蚂蚁社会的一个决定性特征是存在一种生殖等级制度，其中一些被称为蚁后的个体专门负责繁殖，而另一些被称为工蚁的个体专门负责其他任务。在大多数物种中，工蜂的生殖器官减少，在某些情况下（如蜂王死亡）仍能繁殖，但在其他物种中，工蜂完全没有生殖器官。这种专性工蚁不育在蚂蚁中进化了至少14次，但对调节这种专性不育表达的分子机制知之甚少，也不知道这种机制是否在每个独立的不育起源中都是相同的。本研究的总体目标是阐明蚂蚁专性不育的表达和进化机制，并进一步验证影响果蝇不育发育的基因的作用。我们的研究可能为研究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训练学生和研究人员研究遗传基础和进化的方法，努力提高公众对进化和发展的理解，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，以及进化如何产生和修补这些调节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种专性不育工蜂种姓，这在蚂蚁中已经进化了至少14次，但对潜在的调节网络以及这种趋同表型进化是否涉及趋同或平行分子进化知之甚少。本研究的总体目标是利用一种综合的方法来阐明蚂蚁专性不育的表达和进化背后的基因调控网络。蚂蚁提供了一个难得的机会来研究不育和不育是如何在它们的社会背景下进化的，将个体生殖系的丧失与不育工人种姓的群体水平的获得联系起来。生物体内的种体区分是多细胞生命的基础，而种系隔离是动物发育的一个重要步骤。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，该研究可能提供新的候选基因和途径来调节与生殖、生殖健康相关的一系列复杂表型，供在模式生物中进一步研究。该基金的进一步广泛影响包括培训学生和博士后研究人员研究遗传基础和进化的方法，努力提高公众对进化和发展的理解，并努力提高学生对STEM领域的参与。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。