Evolution and development of skeletal patterning

骨骼图案的进化和发展

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06724
• 负责人: Larsson, Hans
• 金额: $ 3.21万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=688781
• 关键词: Evolution; development; skeletal; patterning

The research program will examine the developmental and evolutionary biology of the vertebrate skeleton across large scale evolutionary transitions. Specifically, it will explore the interplay between developmental and evolutionary integration and variation in the skeleton across the fish to tetrapod and dinosaur to bird transitions using quantitative methods of shape description and gene expression. The two transitions are chosen because of their rich fossil record and wealth of developmental biology of relevant extant species. A set of complimentary projects are designed to bridge a broad interdisciplinary program that researches a spectrum from genetic evolution, to developmental mechanics, to biological imaging and quantitative phenomics, to evolutionary patterns, rates, and variation. ***Research will focus on the development and evolution of paired appendages (fins and limbs) and the axial column (spine and tail). Both have undergone dramatic evolutionary changes across the fish-tetrapod and dinosaur-bird transitions and are expected to have had equally dramatic developmental changes. The first phase of projects will reconstruct the evolutionary changes of these anatomies across these two transitions. This will be done by adding qualitative and quantitative data to existing datasets to estimate rates and types of anatomical evolution at these transitions. The second phase will image the skeletal development (from undifferentiated mesenchyme, to condensations, to chondrified, and then ossified bone) of the endoskeleton of these two anatomical regions in extant embryos of selected fishes, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, and birds. This imaging will make intensive use soft tissue imaging with a new nano-focus micro CT machine under my supervision recently awarded in a CFI Innovation Fund (PI: Vogel, An integrated quantitative biology initiative [IQBI]). The third phase will test for genetic and epigenetic (environmental) control of early stages of skeletal patterning in these regions. Some results are expected to highlight developmental switch points that may be associated with rapid rates of evolutionary change whereas others may highlight developmental conservation. ***This research will derive a working model of skeletal development and evolution. The results will have application to our understanding of how biological systems evolve and how developmental biology influences large scale evolutionary change. Other applications are the development of an efficient work flow for imaging, quantifying, and comparing anatomical data. This has enormous implications for objectively estimating evolutionary relationships, describing developmental variation, and medical imaging.

该研究计划将研究脊椎动物骨骼在大规模进化转变中的发育和进化生物学。具体来说，它将利用形状描述和基因表达的定量方法，探索从鱼类到四足动物、从恐龙到鸟类转变的发育和进化整合以及骨骼变化之间的相互作用。选择这两个转变是因为它们丰富的化石记录和相关现存物种的发育生物学的丰富性。一系列免费项目旨在连接广泛的跨学科项目，研究从遗传进化到发育力学，到生物成像和定量表型组学，再到进化模式、速率和变异的一系列研究。 ***研究将集中于成对附肢（鳍和四肢）和轴柱（脊柱和尾巴）的发育和进化。两者在鱼类-四足动物和恐龙-鸟类的转变中都经历了巨大的进化变化，并且预计也会发生同样巨大的发育变化。项目的第一阶段将重建这些解剖结构在这两个转变过程中的进化变化。这将通过向现有数据集添加定性和定量数据来估计这些转变时解剖进化的速率和类型来完成。第二阶段将成像选定鱼类、两栖动物、哺乳动物、爬行动物和鸟类的现存胚胎中这两个解剖区域的内骨骼的骨骼发育（从未分化的间质，到凝结，到软骨化，然后骨化）。在我的监督下，该成像将使用新型纳米焦点微型 CT 机进行密集使用软组织成像，该机器最近获得了 CFI 创新基金（PI：Vogel，一项综合定量生物学计划 [IQBI]）。第三阶段将测试这些区域骨骼模式早期阶段的遗传和表观遗传（环境）控制。一些结果预计会强调可能与快速进化变化相关的发育转换点，而另一些结果可能会强调发育保守。 ***这项研究将得出骨骼发育和进化的工作模型。研究结果将有助于我们理解生物系统如何进化以及发育生物学如何影响大规模进化变化。其他应用包括开发用于成像、量化和比较解剖数据的高效工作流程。这对于客观估计进化关系、描述发育变异和医学成像具有巨大影响。