The molecular basis of morphological change; antennal variation in crustaceans

形态变化的分子基础；

• 批准号: 7222190
• 负责人: Meredith E Protas
• 金额: $ 4.68万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-03-01 至 2010-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7222190
• 关键词: Address; Affect; Biological Assay; Biology; Candidate Disease Gene; Condition; Crustacea; Development; Developmental Biology; Disease; Evolution; Fresh Water; Gene Expression; Genes; Genetic; Goals; Human Genetics; Human Genome; Insecta; Laboratories; Length; Medical; Methods; Molecular; Molecular Genetics; Morphology; Mutation; Phenotype; Population; Process; Sensory; Structure; Surface; Thick; Time; Variant; base; insight; interest; research study; size; tool; trait

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Determining how morphological differences arise is a subject of great importance in evolutionary biology but one that has been very difficult to address experimentally. However, with the recent advent of the field of evolutionary and developmental biology (evo-devo), it is now becoming feasible to bring new and interesting species into the lab to ask molecular and genetic questions. Most evo-devo studies either focus on macroevolution (large-scale) or microevolution (small-scale). Microevolutionary studies have been very valuable in discovering genetic changes causing morphological change because the time difference separating the populations in question is relatively short. One question that still remains is whether the path of microevolutionary change represents on a shorter time scale the path of changes on a larger time scale. To really understand the evolution of morphological change in speciation, we need to address the seemingly impossible goal of looking at the genetics of morphological evolution in species separated by great time differences. One way of bridging the gap between evolution on a short time scale and evolution on a longer time scale is to look at a morphology that shows great diversity both within species and between species. We propose to study antennal development molecularly and genetically across three different time scales: between insects and crustaceans, between different crustacean species, and within a crustacean species that has intraspecific antennal variation. We will be using a candidate gene approach, assaying gene expression of genes known to be involved in antennal development in insects in crustacean species with differing antennal morphologies. We will also functionally pursue some of these genes in the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis, a species amenable to molecular analyses. Using a candidate genetic approach, we will examine intraspecific antennal variation in a species that has cave and surface dwelling populations. Studying the genetic and molecular basis behind phenotypic change is very important from a medical standpoint; one of the major goals in human genetics is to figure out what genetic changes are responsible for diseases and other conditions. Understanding the genetic and molecular basis of phenotypic change in species in which laboratory experiments are possible will allow insight into the process of evolution: what types of genes are affected, what types of mutations are in these genes, and how much of the variation in a particular trait is encoded genetically and environmentally. This information will yield a greater understanding of evolutionary change which will be helpful in the analysis of the human genome.

描述（由申请人提供）：确定形态差异如何产生在进化生物学中是一个非常重要的主题，但却很难通过实验来解决。然而，随着进化和发育生物学（evo-devo）领域的出现，现在将新的和有趣的物种带入实验室来研究分子和遗传问题变得可行。大多数进化-进化研究要么关注宏观进化（大规模），要么关注微观进化（小规模）。微观进化研究在发现引起形态变化的遗传变化方面非常有价值，因为所讨论的种群之间的时间差相对较短。仍然存在的一个问题是，微观进化变化的路径是否代表了更短时间尺度上的变化路径。为了真正理解物种形成过程中形态变化的进化，我们需要解决一个看似不可能实现的目标，即观察因巨大时间差异而分离的物种的形态进化遗传学。弥合短时间尺度的进化和长时间尺度的进化之间的差距的一种方法是观察物种内部和物种之间的巨大多样性的形态学。我们建议在三个不同的时间尺度上研究触角发育的分子和遗传：昆虫和甲壳类之间，不同甲壳类物种之间，以及具有种内触角变异的甲壳类物种内。我们将使用一种候选基因的方法，分析已知参与触角发育的基因在具有不同触角形态的甲壳类昆虫中的表达。我们还将在甲壳类动物夏威夷Parhyale（一种适合分子分析的物种）中对这些基因进行功能上的研究。使用一种候选的遗传方法，我们将在一个有洞穴和地表居住人口的物种中检查种内的触角变异。从医学的角度来看，研究表型变化背后的遗传和分子基础非常重要；人类遗传学的主要目标之一是找出导致疾病和其他状况的基因变化。了解物种表型变化的遗传和分子基础（在实验室实验中是可能的）将使我们深入了解进化过程：哪些类型的基因受到影响，这些基因中有哪些类型的突变，以及特定性状中有多少变异是遗传和环境编码的。这些信息将使我们对进化变化有更深入的了解，这将有助于对人类基因组的分析。