Reptilian Tooth and Jaw Development

爬行动物牙齿和下巴的发育

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05477
• 负责人: Richman, Joy
• 金额: $ 3.21万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=615718
• 关键词: Reptilian; Tooth; Jaw; Development

Reptiles and mammals share a common ancestor dating back more than 300 million years but during evolution significant specializations in the skull and teeth have arisen. Our goal is to determine how and when in development these differences arose. For example, skulls of the majority of reptiles have more openings than mammals. Mammals always have closed palates that separate the oral and nasal cavities. In contrast snakes, lizards and birds have open palates, turtles have a primitive palate and surprisingly alligators have a closed palate like mammals. In the dentition, there are also striking differences in tooth anatomy and replacement capacity. Most snakes, lizards and crocodilians replace their teeth continuously throughout life (polyphyodonty), whereas mammals can only replace their teeth once. The embryos of reptiles and mammals are remarkably similar at early stages reflecting their common origins. At key stages of development genes involved in skull and palate development will be examined in turtles, lizards, birds and alligators to determine subtle differences that correlate with later skull anatomy. The shape of the head and palate will also be analyzed to measure precisely when differences in morphology can be detected. To test the function of key genes, retroviruses will be placed into the chicken to change gene expression to resemble that of non-avian reptiles. We hypothesize that some of these genes will convert the bird anatomy into that of other reptiles. We will investigate tooth replacement in longitudinal studies on leopard geckos as well as historical data collected on iguanas. We will test whether there are global cues that regulate the timing and pattern of tooth replacement and whether these are set up prior to hatching. We will also test the role of the environment on tooth replacement by removing teeth, injecting chemicals next to the teeth or injuring the tooth replacement apparatus. Wax bites will be taken weekly to record the shedding of teeth. We will also inject a fluorescent dye that is incorporated into mineralizing teeth at the time the experiments are conducted. The shedding and eruption of fluorescent teeth over time will be recorded with a fluorescence microscope. Follow-up experiments will analyze the fixed tissues for gene expression and cell proliferation changes. The reptile research group at UBC is unique in Canada and the world. Our innovative studies on molecular evolution of the skull and teeth will provide the insights into how animals adapted to environmental changes. Our results are of great interest to paleobiologists, developmental biologists and the broad scientific community.

爬行动物和哺乳动物有着共同的祖先，可以追溯到3亿多年前，但在进化过程中，头骨和牙齿出现了显著的专业化。我们的目标是确定这些差异在开发过程中是如何以及何时出现的。例如，大多数爬行动物的头骨比哺乳动物的头骨有更多的开口。哺乳动物总是闭合着上颚，将口腔和鼻腔分开。相比之下，蛇、蜥蜴和鸟类的味觉是开放的，海龟的味觉是原始的，令人惊讶的是，鳄鱼的味觉像哺乳动物一样闭合。在牙列中，牙齿解剖和替换能力也有明显差异。大多数蛇、蜥蜴和鳄鱼在一生中不断地更换牙齿(多齿类)，而哺乳动物只能更换一次牙齿。 爬行动物和哺乳动物的胚胎在早期阶段非常相似，反映了它们共同的起源。在发育的关键阶段，涉及头骨和上颚发育的基因将在海龟、蜥蜴、鸟类和鳄鱼身上进行研究，以确定与后来的头骨解剖相关的细微差异。还将分析头部和上颚的形状，以准确测量何时可以检测到形态上的差异。为了测试关键基因的功能，将逆转录病毒放入鸡体内，改变基因表达，使其与非鸟类爬行动物相似。我们推测，这些基因中的一些会将鸟类的解剖学转化为其他爬行动物的解剖学。 我们将在对豹壁虎的纵向研究中调查牙齿替换，以及在鬣蜥上收集的历史数据。我们将测试是否有全球线索来调节牙齿替换的时间和模式，以及这些是否在孵化之前设置。我们还将通过拔掉牙齿、在牙齿旁边注射化学物质或损坏牙齿更换装置来测试环境对牙齿更换的作用。每周都会进行咬蜡检查，以记录牙齿的脱落情况。我们还将注射一种荧光染料，在实验进行时，这种染料会被结合到矿化牙齿中。随着时间的推移，荧光牙齿的脱落和萌出将用荧光显微镜记录下来。后续实验将分析固定组织的基因表达和细胞增殖变化。UBC的爬行动物研究小组在加拿大和世界上都是独一无二的。我们对头骨和牙齿的分子进化的创新研究将为动物如何适应环境变化提供见解。我们的研究结果引起了古生物学家、发育生物学家和广大科学界的极大兴趣。