基于宏基因组的金丝猴适应机制研究

动物对环境适应机制是进化生物学中最基本科学问题之一，目前有关研究基本是围绕动物自身基因组来开展。作为动物“第二套基因组”的肠道菌群宏基因组，其组成和功能在时空上的变化可能是动物提高其适应环境的一种关键驱动因素之一。因此本项目拟以分布在不同海拔梯度生境中的金丝猴属5个种及种内不同种群、以及滇金丝猴和川金丝猴各圈养种群为研究对象，基于肠道菌群16sRNA和宏基因组测序技术及生物信息学分析方法，在不同时空层面上分析金丝猴肠道菌群组成和功能的变化特点，阐明金丝猴肠道菌群组成和功能上的时空变化与环境适应的关系，同时基于川、滇金丝猴在变化（野生种群）和稳定（圈养种群）两种环境下宏基因组比较分析，探讨金丝猴属物种在不同时空环境下其肠道菌群组成和功能上的变化是否是其适应环境变化的一种策略和关键驱动因子之一。综合上述结果并结合自身基因组适应性研究结果，揭示和阐明金丝猴适应环境变化的生物学机制。

How animals adapt to the environment is one of the most fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. However, most of adaptive studies are being conducted based on the self-genomic of animals till now. Metagenomics of gut microbiome, as the “Second set genomes” of the animal, has plasticity in time and space, and has been confirmed to play a key role in the animal’s survival and adaptation. Therefore, we will conduct this project on all five species of Rhinopithecus and will focus on the populations from different altitude gradients of these five species and some captive populations from Yunnan and Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys. Based on the 16sRNA and metagenomic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, we aim to analyze the composition and function of the gut microbiota of snub-nosed monkeys at different temporal and spatial scale, and clarify the relationship between this difference and their adaption to environment change. We will also conduct the comparative analysis of characteristics of metagenome between changing environment (wild population) and table environment (captive population) aiming to explore whether the variation of metagenome composition and function under different temporal and spatial scale is an evolutionary adaptation strategy and key driving factor. In summary, combining the new results of this project and the previous studies on self-genomic of snub-nosed monkeys, we will clarify the biological mechanism of adaption to complex environment in snub-nosed monkeys, and aim to reveal the evolutionary mechanism of biodiversity.