Evolution and development of evolutionary novelties during anuran ontogenesis

无尾动物个体发育过程中进化新事物的进化和发展

• 批准号: 418528051
• 负责人: Dr. Paul Lukas
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2018-12-31 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/418528051?language=en
• 关键词: Evolution; development; evolutionary; novelties; during

Evolutionary novelties are morphological structures that enable new functions or further specialize ancestral functions in an organism. How such innovations evolved and which mechanisms led to their development are essential questions in the field of developmental biology.The composition of the cartilaginous skeleton of anuran tadpoles is unique among vertebrates. The jaw of tadpoles consists of two additional cartilages. The suprarostral cartilage is part of the upper jaw, whereas the infrarostral cartilage is part of the lower jaw of larval anurans. The infrarostral cartilage is situated between the anterior tips of the two Meckel´s cartilages. Between the infrarostral and Meckel´s cartilage the unique intramandibular joint is present. Several anurans exist which develop further additional cartilages. Depending on their respective position, these cartilages are called sub-meckelian, admandibular or adrostral cartilage. Genetic signaling, which controls ontogenesis of an organism and ensures that it develops in a certain way, must be responsible for the evolution and development of evolutionary novelties. Investigations in Xenopus laevis have shown that the the nkx-genes bapx1 and zax may have been involved in the evolution of the infrarostral and adrostral cartilage.We will investigate the musculoskeletal development of three different frogs to obtain a comprehensive overview on the ontogenesis of anurans. This overview will provide information about the sequence of the musculoskeletal development, about the influence of the specific feeding habit on the development and about the specific development of several anuran novelties. Additionally, the influence of selected nkx-genes on the evolution and development of these novelties will be investigated.We will study musculoskeletal morphogenesis using classic histology and modern approaches such as immunohistochemistry, confocal laser scanning microscopy and μ-computed tomography. To investigate and manipulate the gene expression of various nkx-genes, pharmacological substances and CRISPR/Cas9 will be used. Spatial and temporal gene expression will be studied using whole mount in situ hybridization and quantitative PCR.This project will significantly expand our knowledge of the musculoskeletal development of larval frogs. Furthermore, it will advance our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the evolution of evolutionary novelties.

进化新颖性是指在有机体中实现新功能或进一步专门化祖先功能的形态结构。这些创新是如何进化的以及哪些机制导致了它们的发展是发育生物学领域的基本问题。无尾蝌蚪的软骨骨骼的组成在脊椎动物中是独一无二的。蝌蚪的下颌由两块额外的软骨组成。喙上软骨是无尾类幼虫上颌的一部分，而喙下软骨是下颌的一部分。 头下软骨位于两块梅克尔软骨的前尖之间。在下颌软骨和梅克尔软骨之间存在独特的下颌内关节。存在几种无尾动物，它们进一步发育出额外的软骨。根据它们各自的位置，这些软骨被称为亚梅克尔软骨、下颌软骨或上颌软骨。遗传信号控制生物体的个体发生并确保其以某种方式发育，它必须负责进化新颖性的进化和发展。对非洲爪蟾的研究表明，nkx 基因 bapx1 和 zax 可能参与了下颌软骨和上颌软骨的进化。我们将研究三种不同青蛙的肌肉骨骼发育，以全面了解无尾类动物的本体发育。本概述将提供有关肌肉骨骼发育顺序、特定进食习惯对发育的影响以及几种无尾动物新奇事物的具体发育的信息。此外，还将研究选定的 NKX 基因对这些新奇事物的进化和发展的影响。我们将使用经典组织学和现代方法（例如免疫组织化学、共焦激光扫描显微镜和 μ 计算机断层扫描）研究肌肉骨骼形态发生。为了研究和操纵各种 nkx 基因的基因表达，将使用药理学物质和 CRISPR/Cas9。将使用整体原位杂交和定量 PCR 研究空间和时间基因表达。该项目将显着扩展我们对幼蛙肌肉骨骼发育的了解。此外，它将增进我们对进化新颖性进化机制的理解。