An invertebrate model for eye developmental genetics

该项目的长期目标是开发一种无脊椎动物的非模型系统，用于研究眼睛发育。由于眼睛发育的许多过程在所有动物中都是保守的，因此研究任何动物都可以教我们关于发育系统的一般过程，包括人类。本研究将描述眼睛发育的甲壳动物Euphilodes morina。该物种的雄性有大复眼，而雌性则没有复眼。确定这种不寻常的眼睛二型性的发育和遗传基础是拟议研究的一个具体目标。这一目标将通过分离、拟定研究的具体目标来实现。这一目标将通过分离、测序和表征甲壳动物雄性和雌性中四个高度保守的眼睛发育基因的表达来实现。本文提出了三个假说来解释这种二型现象：（1）眼睛基因是性连锁的;（2）眼睛基因表达在雄性和雌性之间存在差异;（3）眼睛在雌性发育的早期就存在，但后来通过程序性细胞死亡（PCD）而丢失。这四个基因中的每一个都有与人类眼睛发育相关的基因。这些基因的突变与许多人类疾病有关;不仅是眼睛的疾病，还有耳朵、鼻子和肾脏的疾病。确定女性E.莫里尼在没有实验其他发育缺陷的情况下成功地失去了眼睛，这将为相关人类异常的发育基因提供新的见解。

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.