Genetics of adaptation in colourful poison frogs

彩色毒蛙的适应遗传学

• 批准号: 263544360
• 负责人: Professorin Dr. Heike Pröhl
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Zoologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2013-12-31 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/263544360?language=en
• 关键词: Genetics; adaptation; colourful; poison; frogs

The genetics of colouration has been studied in mammals, birds, fish and reptiles but studies on amphibians are scarce. Besides extensive variability in colour pattern nothing is known about the underlying genetic components involved in creating colour diversity within and among amphibian species. In this context the diversity of colouration patterns linked to predator avoidance strategies in Neotropical poison frogs is an exciting opportunity to study the genetics of ecological adaptation. Poison frogs differ in colouration patterns among populations and strong evidence exists that colouration is adaptive, probably driven by predator selection. Divergence in adaptive colouration, behaviour and toxicity in combination with assortative mating (by colour) very likely contributes to the formation of prezygotic isolation mechanisms among colour morphs. The objective of this proposal is to characterize the colouration genes for the extremely colour polymorphic Neotropical strawberry poison frog Oophaga. pumilio. In this frog bright aposematic as well as duller cryptic colour morphs are present in different Panamanian populations. For this project I will collect skin samples from three populations diverged in colour patterns: a red one, a green one and a blue one. I will perform RNAseq analysis to obtain dorsal skin-derived cDNA. cDNA samples will be send to a sequencing service that will perform next generation sequencing to analyse differences in expression levels in genes involved in colouration. I expect that genes involved in the carotenoid /pteridine uptake, synthesis or storage differ in their expression level among colour morphs. I will confirm results for loci with significant expression differences by performing quantitative Real time-RT-PCR (RT=reverse transcription). Thus, I will determine the key gene expression differences underlying colour variation in this species. This critical information will be of major interest in its own right, as it will identify which parts of the molecular pathways to pigment formation are evolving adaptively in this species. It will also open up many interesting avenues for future investigation that will lead to a better understanding of causes and consequences of adaptive colouration.

在哺乳动物、鸟类、鱼类和爬行动物中已经研究了颜色的遗传学，但在两栖动物中的研究很少。除了颜色模式的广泛变异性之外，对两栖动物物种内部和之间创造颜色多样性的潜在遗传成分一无所知。在这种情况下，与新热带区毒蛙的捕食者回避策略有关的着色模式的多样性是研究生态适应遗传学的一个令人兴奋的机会。毒蛙种群之间的着色模式不同，强有力的证据表明，着色是适应性的，可能是由捕食者选择。在自适应着色，行为和毒性的分歧结合与排斥性交配（颜色）很可能有助于形成前合子隔离机制之间的颜色变体。这项建议的目的是描述颜色多态的新热带区草莓毒蛙Oophaga的着色基因。pumilio。 在这只青蛙明亮的警戒以及沉闷的神秘的颜色变形存在于不同的巴拿马种群。在这个项目中，我将从三个不同颜色模式的人群中收集皮肤样本：红色，绿色和蓝色。我将进行RNAseq分析以获得背部皮肤来源的cDNA。cDNA样本将被送往测序服务，该服务将进行下一代测序，以分析参与着色的基因表达水平的差异。我希望参与类胡萝卜素/蝶啶摄取、合成或储存的基因在颜色变体中的表达水平不同。本人将通过进行定量真实的时间-RT-PCR（RT=逆转录）确认具有显著表达差异的基因座的结果。因此，我将确定该物种颜色变化背后的关键基因表达差异。这一关键信息本身将具有重大意义，因为它将确定色素形成的分子途径的哪些部分在该物种中适应性地进化。它还将为未来的研究开辟许多有趣的途径，从而更好地了解自适应着色的原因和后果。