An invertebrate model for eye developmental genetics

这个项目的长期目标是开发一个无脊椎动物的非模型系统来研究眼睛的发育。因为眼睛发育的许多过程在所有动物中都是保守的，研究任何动物都可以教会我们关于发育系统的一般过程，包括人类的发育系统。这项研究将描述甲壳类真甲虫的眼睛发育。这一物种的雄性有很大的复眼，而雌性完全没有复眼。确定这种不寻常的眼睛二形性的发育和遗传基础是拟议研究的一个具体目标。这一目标将通过孤立的、拟议研究的具体目标来实现。这一目标将通过分离、测序和鉴定四个高度保守的眼睛发育基因在甲壳类雄性和雌性中的表达来实现。将考虑三个假设来解释这种二形性：(1)眼睛基因是与性别相关的，(2)眼睛基因的表达在男性和女性之间存在差异(3)眼睛从女性发育的早期开始，但后来由于程序性细胞死亡(PCD)而丢失。要考虑的四个基因中的每一个都有与人类眼睛发育有关的基因。这些基因的突变与许多人类疾病有关；不仅是眼睛，还有耳朵、鼻子和肾脏。确定女性E.Morini如何在不试验其他发育缺陷的情况下成功地失去眼睛，将为我们提供对相关人类异常的发育基因的新见解。

The long-term goals of this project are to develop an invertebrate, non- model system for the study of eye development. Because many processes of eye development are conserved across all animals, studying any animal can teach us about general processes of developmental systems, including those of humans. This study will characterize eye development in the crustacean Euphilodes morina. Males of this species have large compound eyes, while females have no compound eyes at all. Determining the developmental and genetic basis of this unusual eye dimorphism is a specific aim of the proposed study. This aim will be accomplished by isolating, specific aim of the proposed study. This aim will be accomplished by isolating, sequencing, and characterizing expression of four highly conserved eye-development genes in both crustacean males and females. Three hypotheses will be considered to explain the dimorphism: (1) Eye genes are sex-linked, (2) Differences in eye-gene expression are present between males and females (3) Eyes from early in female development but later are lost through programmed cell death (PCD). Each of the four genes to be considered has related genes involved in human eye development. Mutations in these genes are involved in many human diseases; not only of the eyes but also of the ears, nose, and kidneys. Determining how female E. morini manage to lack eyes without experimenting other developmental defects will provide new insight into the developmental genes of related human anomalies.