Dissertation Research: Involvement of Embryonic Developmental Processes in Regeneration and Asexual Reproduction: a Comparative Analysis in Annelids

9623565 Wray动物在再生缺失的身体部位或无性繁殖方面的能力差别很大。有些物种，如环节动物蠕虫、扁虫和海葵，具有非凡的再生能力。例如，某些环节动物能够仅从一个部分再生一个新的功能成体。本研究的主要目的是描述两个关键的发育基因（纠缠和驼背）在几种环节动物蠕虫的再生、无性萌发和胚胎发育中的作用。已知关键发育基因，如同源盒基因，在胚胎发育的许多方面发挥重要作用，如前/后轴的形成、神经系统的发育、头部的形成和肢体的形成。这些基因也被认为与再生和无性生殖等过程中新组织的发育有关。然而，目前对这些基因在这一过程中的作用知之甚少。在该奖项资助的研究中，基因将被克隆，并在这三个过程中研究它们的表达。表征再生和出芽过程中的表达模式将有助于阐明这些基因的功能，并显示这些基因在不同过程中发挥相同作用的程度。这项研究将揭示动物形态多样化背后的发育过程的遗传基础。对发育过程的遗传控制的研究也有助于理解发育异常及其在高等生物中的治疗。

9623565 Wray Animals vary widely in their ability to regenerate missing body parts or to reproduce asexually. Some species, such as annelid worms, flatworms, and sea anemones have remarkable powers of regeneration. For example, certain annelid worms are able to regenerate a new functional adult body from only a single segment. The primary goal of this study is to characterize the involvement of two key developmental genes (engrailed and hunchback) in regeneration, asexual budding, and embryonic development in several annelid worms. Key developmental genes, such as homeobox genes, are known to play important roles in many aspects of embryo development, such as the formation of the anterior/posterior axis, nervous system development, head formation, and limb formation. These genes are also expected to be involved in the development of new tissue during processes such as regeneration and asexual reproduction. However, little is currently known about the action of these genes during such processes. In the research funded by this award, genes will be cloned and their expression studied during all three processes. Characterization of expression patterns during regeneration and budding will help elucidate the functions of the genes and show to what extent these genes perform the same role in the different processes. This research will shed new light on the genetical basis of developmental processes underlying morphological diversification in animals. Research on the genetical controls of developmental processes also can contribute to an understanding of developmental abnormalities and their treatment in higher organisms.