Functional evolution of segmentation gene regulatory networks in insects

摘要 Evo-Devo领域的一个中心问题是控制胚胎发育的基因是如何 进化过程中的变化。Evo-Devo的许多最新进展已经确定了基因变化 与身体外部特征的获取或改变相关的信息，例如 色素沉着模式的改变或形成防弹衣。相比之下，我们的研究是 这是该领域的一项新发现，因为他们揭示了一种高度 保守特征：昆虫共有的节段性体型。控制基因 片段编码胚胎发育所需的转录因子和 生存能力。因此，令人惊讶的是，在存在、表达或 这些基因在不同昆虫分类群中的功能。这里提出的工作是为了 理解这种观察到的遗传变异背后的机制变化，在不同的 昆虫的谱系。为了进行功能研究，我们开发了分子遗传学 在我们实验室的不同昆虫物种中的方法。多重非模型的建立 由于共享协议和协议，同一实验室中的系统同时具有协同效应 故障排除策略，使我们能够在不同的环境中更有效地开发新技术 物种。有了这些工具，我们将研究以下特定场景的基础 调控基因变异：目标1.基因调控相互作用的重新布线，允许丢失一个 蚊子中保守的调节子；目标2.靶基因调控的稳定性 转录因子伙伴：FTZ-F1调控在Tribolium中没有FTZ的靶基因。目标3. 半翅目昆虫非典型性PRGS对节律的调节。这些研究将有助于 对于我们对调控胚胎发育的基本机制以及如何 这些机制在昆虫的辐射过程中发生了变化。这个项目将培训 博士后研究员，一名研究生，至少四名本科生 分子生物学、遗传学和分子进化。分子生物学技术在我国的建立 非模式昆虫和新兴模式昆虫物种，包括表达分析、RNA 干扰、CRISPR、公平序列和转基因，不仅让我们能够回答基本问题 关于胚胎发育的问题，也为翻译提供了分子工具 对对人类健康构成威胁的昆虫的研究。

Abstract A central question in the field of Evo-Devo is how genes controlling embryonic development change during evolution. Many recent advances in Evo-Devo have identified genetic changes that are associated with the acquisition of, or changes in, external body features, such as alterations in pigmentation patterns or development of body armor. In contrast, our studies are novel in this field as they have revealed unexpected genetic variation underlying a highly conserved trait: the shared segmented body plan of insects. The genes controlling segmentation encode transcription factors that are required for embryonic development and viability. Thus, it has been surprising to find large differences in the presence, expression, or function of these genes in different insect taxa. The work proposed here is designed to understand the mechanistic changes underlying this observed genetic variation, in different insect lineages. To carry out functional studies, we have developed molecular genetic approaches in diverse insect species in our lab. The establishment of multiple non-model systems simultaneously within one lab has synergistic effects due to sharing of protocols and troubleshooting strategies, allowing us to more effectively develop new techniques in different species. With these tools in hand, we will examine the underlying bases of specific scenarios of regulatory gene variation: Aim 1. Re-wiring of gene regulatory interactions that permit loss of a conserved regulator in mosquitoes; Aim 2. Stability of target gene regulation despite switches in transcription factor partners: Ftz-F1 regulates target genes without Ftz in Tribolium. Aim 3. Regulation of segmentation by non-canonical PRGs in Hemiptera. These studies will contribute to our understanding of fundamental mechanisms regulating embryonic development and how these mechanisms have changed during the radiation of insects. This project will train postdoctoral fellows, one graduate student, and at least four undergraduate students in molecular biology, genetics and molecular evolution. Establishment of molecular techniques in non-model and emerging model insect species, including expression analysis, RNA interference, CRISPR, FAIRE-seq, and transgenesis, not only allows us to answer fundamental questions about embryonic development, but also provides molecular tools for translational studies of insects that pose a risk to human health.