Alternative splicing in polyploids and hybrids

多倍体是一种具有额外一组染色体的生物体，在植物中很常见，几种农作物都是多倍体。多倍体可以导致新的形态和发育特征，更大的细胞大小，和新的基因功能和表达模式。多倍体的形成通常涉及两个物种之间的杂交（杂交）。本研究的目的是了解多倍体和跨物种杂交对基因表达的影响，重点研究RNA剪接模式（在基因表达过程中去除RNA区域）。我将检测甘蓝型油菜多倍体复制基因的表达和RNA剪接，包括涉及指定重要农艺性状的基因，如种子油合成和抗病能力。我将检测杂交后第一代植物杂交中出现的新的RNA剪接模式，使用新技术在模式植物杂交中研究全基因组范围的RNA剪接模式。该研究将首次深入了解多倍体植物中重复基因之间RNA剪接模式的差异，并首次了解杂交植物中出现的新型RNA剪接模式的流行情况以及受影响的基因类型。多倍体和杂交种RNA剪接的研究将对植物分子生物学、植物基因组学和分子进化等领域产生重要影响。一些重复基因在指定植物的农艺性状中起着重要的作用，一些重复基因的RNA剪接模式可能与植物育种过程中所选择的性状的赋予有关。特别是多倍体油菜籽对加拿大的经济和食物供应非常重要，从油菜籽RNA剪接的研究中得到的知识可能会导致这种作物的改良。了解RNA剪接模式如何改变基因表达和功能可能会导致使用RNA剪接作为生物技术应用的工具来设计具有改变感兴趣基因表达的作物，以创造或改善所需的特性。

Polyploids, organisms with an extra set of chromosomes, are common among plants and several crop plants are polyploid. Polyploidy can lead to novel morphological and developmental characteristics, larger cell sizes, and new gene functions and expression patterns. The formation of polyploids often involves hybridization (crossing) between two species. The goal of this research is to understand the consequences of polyploidy and cross-species hybridization on gene expression with a focus on patterns of RNA splicing (removal of regions of the RNA during gene expression). I will assay the expression and RNA splicing of genes duplicated by polyploidy in Brassica napus, canola, including genes involved in specifying traits of agronomic importance such as seed oil synthesis and disease resistance. I will detect novel RNA splicing patterns that appear in plant hybrids during the first generation after a cross is made, using new technology to study RNA splicing patterns on a genome-wide scale in a model plant hybrid. The proposed research will provide the first insights into differences in RNA splicing patterns between duplicated genes in polyploid plants, and the first information on the prevalence of novel RNA splicing patterns that occur in hybrid plants and the types of genes that are affected. This research on RNA splicing in polyploids and hybrids is likely to have an impact on the fields of plant molecular biology, plant genomics, and molecular evolution. Some duplicate genes play a role in specifying traits of agronomic significance in plants, and some RNA splicing patterns in duplicated genes may be involved in conferring traits selected for during plant breeding. In particular, polyploid canola is important to Canada's economy and food supply and what is learned from studying RNA splicing in canola may lead to improvement of this crop plant. Understanding how RNA splicing patterns can change gene expression and function may lead to using RNA splicing as a tool for biotechnology applications to design crops with altered expression of genes of interest to create or improve desired characteristics.