Experimental Coevolution between C. Elegans and B. Thuringiensis CLUSTER: "Experimental Evolution and Natural Variation of Bacillus-Invertebrate Interactions"

寄主和寄生虫之间的共同进化被认为与非常高的选择动力学有关，这对生物体和生物系统的进化至关重要。尽管有大量的理论研究，但关于进化效应和潜在遗传过程的复杂性的结论性经验证据仍然很少。该项目的目的是在表型和基因组水平上提供宿主-寄生虫共同进化后果的实验测试。在目前的资助期内，我们利用进化实验产生了已知共同进化或单侧适应历史的宿主（秀丽隐杆线虫）和寄生虫（其微寄生虫苏云金芽孢杆菌）菌株。进化历史上强加的差异确实导致了寄生虫毒力、宿主抗性和其他生活史特征的显著变化。在建议的资助期内，我们将重点了解观察到的表型变化的遗传基础，结合群体基因组分析，重组自交系（RILs）新群体的数量性状位点（QTL）分析以及鉴定的候选基因的功能遗传分析。我们将进一步将我们的经验数据与理论模型联系起来，以完善我们对这些相互作用动力学的理解。该项目是作为宿主-寄生虫共同进化优先规划中的芽孢杆菌-无脊椎动物群的一部分提出的。

The coevolution between host and parasite is believed to associate with very high selection dynamics that are of prime importance for the evolution of organisms and biological systems. Despite numerous theoretical studies, conclusive empirical evidence for the complexity of evolutionary effects and the underlying genetic processes is still scarce. The aim of this project is to provide an experimental test of the consequences of host-parasite coevolution at both phenotypic and genomic levels. During the current funding period, we have used evolution experiments to generate strains of hosts (the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans) and parasites (its microparasite Bacillus thuringiensis) with known histories of either coevolution or one-sided adaptation. The imposed differences in evolutionary history indeed caused significant variation in parasite virulence, host resistance and also other life-history traits. During the proposed funding period, we will focus on understanding the genetic basis of the observed phenotypic changes, using a combination of population genomic analysis, quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of a new population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs), and the functional genetic analysis of identified candidate genes. We will further link our empirical data to theoretical models to refine our understanding of the dynamics of these interactions. This project is proposed as part of the Bacillus-Invertebrate Cluster within the Priority Programme on Host-Parasite Coevolution.