The emergence of evolutionary novelties:testing genetic and environmental effects using the ciliate Paramecium

进化新奇的出现：利用纤毛虫草履虫测试遗传和环境影响

• 批准号: 264304652
• 负责人: Dr. Francesco Catania
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Evolutionary Cell Biology Group
• 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 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/264304652?language=en
• 关键词: emergence; evolutionary; novelties; testing; genetic

The elucidation of the processes that contribute to the emergence of evolutionary novelties is one of the greatest challenges facing biologists. We aim to enhance our understanding of these processes by undertaking a project wherein the biological features of the ciliate Paramecium are integrated with its peculiar genomic architecture. The focus of the project is on RNA and DNA splicing, which are excellent candidates for creating genetic variants. The inaccuracy of these processes generates distinct isoforms that, by occasionally affecting the phenotype, can become substrates of natural selection. Splicing events are influenced by patterns of DNA methylation, which are themselves susceptible to environmental variations. It follows that accounting for both the genomic and the surrounding environment is necessary to gain a complete understanding of the role of splicing in the emergence and establishment of functional genetic novelties.

阐明导致进化新颖性出现的过程是生物学家面临的最大挑战之一。我们的目标是通过开展一个项目来增强我们对这些过程的理解，其中纤毛虫草履虫的生物学特征与其独特的基因组结构相结合。该项目的重点是 RNA 和 DNA 剪接，它们是创建遗传变异的绝佳候选者。这些过程的不准确性会产生不同的同种型，这些同种型偶尔会影响表型，从而成为自然选择的底物。剪接事件受到 DNA 甲基化模式的影响，而 DNA 甲基化模式本身很容易受到环境变化的影响。因此，为了全面了解剪接在功能性遗传新颖性的出现和建立中的作用，必须考虑基因组和周围环境。