Role of cis-regulatory elements in the evolution of developmental gene function.

我的实验室研究一个基因家族，Dlx基因，它在大量动物物种的胚胎发育过程中起着重要的调控作用。 它们是在发育过程中发生的遗传级联的一部分，以确定不同的细胞类型和胚胎的模式，特别是在鳃弓中，胚胎结构产生面部骨骼，大脑的特定部位，耳朵，嗅觉器官和四肢。我们已经确定了Dlx基因的部分，使它们能够在发育过程中在胚胎的特定部位发挥作用。 我们发现，这些基因片段中的一些，称为增强子，在远亲动物（例如哺乳动物，鱼类，鲨鱼）中具有相似的DNA序列，并且一些，但不是全部，不仅可以在它们已被鉴定的物种（例如小鼠）中正常发挥作用，而且可以在远亲动物（例如鱼类）中正常发挥作用。 我们现在想确定在脊索动物和脊椎动物的进化过程中何时获得增强子，以赋予Dlx基因新的功能。我们还想了解增强子功能的差异是如何在进化过程中获得的，以及这与大脑和四肢发育的不同策略之间的关系。这项研究将使我们能够了解基因如何在进化过程中获得新的功能，从而参与形态和功能创新的出现。我们的研究还将帮助我们更好地了解基因如何控制发育中胚胎的形态。

My laboratory studies a family of genes, the Dlx genes, which play important regulatory roles during development of the embryos of a large number of animal species. They are parts of genetic cascades taking place during development to determine the different cell types and the patterning of the embryo, notably in the branchial arches, embryonic structures that give rise to skeleton of the face, in specific parts of the brain, in the ears, in the olfactory organs and in the limbs. We have identified the parts of the Dlx genes that enable them to function in specific parts of the embryo during development. We showed that some of these gene fragments, called enhancers, have similar DNA sequences in distantly related animals (e.g. mammals, fish, sharks) and some, but not all, can function properly not only in the species where they have been identified (e.g. mouse) but also in distantly related animals (e.g. fish). We now want to determine when the enhancers were acquired during evolution of chordates and vertebrates to confer novel functions to the Dlx genes. We also want to understand how the differences in enhancer function were acquired in evolution and how this relates to different strategies for the development of brain and of the limbs. This research will enable us to understand how genes acquire new functions during evolution, thus participating in the emergence of morphological and functional innovations. Our research will also help us better understand how genes control the morphology of the developing embryo.