The Role of Epigenetics in the Generation of Evolutionarily Important Variation

表观遗传学在进化上重要变异的产生中的作用

• 批准号: 418249-2012
• 负责人: Jamniczky, Heather
• 金额: $ 2.19万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=573556
• 关键词: Role; Epigenetics; Generation; Evolutionarily; Important

How does development help to determine the diversity of animal form we observe in nature? This research program will examine the role of physical interactions among developing parts of organisms in determining organisms' adult form. Shape-driven interactions between developing tissues and gene expression domains are thought to play a major role in making variation available for natural selection to act upon. This research program will use cutting-edge three dimensional imaging equipment to produce a detailed database of phenotypic and gene-expression information for the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. This fish has repeatedly undergone rapid evolutionary transitions from marine to freshwater environments, and these transitions involve major changes in body shape. This fish is an emerging model system in evolutionary developmental biology, and it offers a unique opportunity to ask targeted questions about the reciprocal relationship between development and evolution. This research will provide new knowledge about how the variation required for animals to adapt quickly to changing environments is generated by development. The database generated by this work will be of use to many other research groups as they seek to better understand evolutionary change. The knowledge generated here will help to inform future studies about the means by which organisms are adapting to rapidly changing environmental conditions, work which is key for conservation of global biodiversity.

发展如何有助于确定我们在自然界中观察到的动物形式的多样性？这项研究计划将研究生物体发育部分之间的物理相互作用在决定生物体成体形态方面的作用。发育中的组织和基因表达结构域之间的形状驱动的相互作用被认为在使自然选择能够作用于变异方面发挥了重要作用。这项研究计划将使用尖端的三维成像设备，为三刺刺鱼建立一个详细的表型和基因表达信息数据库。这种鱼反复经历了从海洋环境到淡水环境的快速进化转变，这些转变涉及到身体形状的重大变化。这种鱼是进化发育生物学中一种新兴的模式系统，它提供了一个独特的机会，可以提出关于发育和进化之间相互关系的有针对性的问题。这项研究将提供关于动物快速适应变化环境所需的变异是如何由发育产生的新知识。这项工作产生的数据库将对许多其他研究小组有用，因为他们试图更好地理解进化变化。这里产生的知识将有助于为未来关于生物适应快速变化的环境条件的方法的研究提供信息，这项工作是保护全球生物多样性的关键。