The molecular basis of morphological change; antennal variation in crustaceans

确定形态差异是如何产生的是进化论中一个非常重要的课题 但这是一个很难通过实验解决的问题。然而，随着最近出现的 进化和发育生物学(EVO-DEVO)领域，现在正变得可行，带来新的和 有趣的物种进入实验室，提出分子和遗传问题。 大多数EVO-DEVO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。 变化是因为所讨论的种群之间的时间差相对较短。一个问题 仍然存在的问题是，微进化的路径是否代表着更短的时间尺度 更大时间尺度上的变化路径。要真正了解地球表面形态变化的演化过程 物种形成，我们需要解决看似不可能的目标--观察形态遗传学 物种的进化被巨大的时差隔开。 弥合短时间进化和长时间进化之间差距的一种方法 尺度是看一种形态，它显示出物种内和物种之间的巨大多样性。我们 建议在三个不同的时间尺度上从分子和遗传学上研究触角的发育： 在昆虫和甲壳类之间，在不同的甲壳类物种之间，以及在甲壳类物种内 具有种内触角变异的生物。我们将使用候选基因方法，分析基因 甲壳类昆虫触角发育相关基因的表达 不同的触角形态。我们还将在甲壳类动物中从功能上研究其中一些基因 一种适合于分子分析的物种。使用候选遗传方法，我们 将研究具有洞穴和地表栖息地种群的物种的种内触角变化。 从医学角度研究表型变化背后的遗传和分子基础是非常重要的 观点：人类遗传学的主要目标之一是找出哪些基因变化是 用于治疗疾病和其他疾病。了解表型改变的遗传和分子基础 可以进行实验室实验的物种将允许洞察进化的过程：什么 受影响的基因类型，这些基因中有哪些类型的突变，以及在一个 特定的特征是由遗传和环境决定的。这一信息将产生更大的 对进化变化的理解，这将有助于分析人类基因组。

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.