Genomic Approaches to Metazoan Evolution: Lophotrochozoans and Hox Genes

这个项目将研究Hox基因，它指定了身体计划的基本组织，以重建光藻动物的进化关系。作为双侧动物的三大支系之一，这一类群包含了最多样化的身体计划组织，据称包括至少10个已知的门（包括环节动物、软体动物、外生动物、腕足动物和软体动物）。在了解形成后生动物宏观进化和多样化的因素之前，迫切需要了解光藻动物的进化关系。除了构建基因遗传学外，这项工作还将利用有关Hox集群的组织和基因组成的信息。为此，将产生四个细菌人工染色体文库，从而允许对整个Hox簇进行测序。为了扩充这一文库，我们将从49个浮游动物类群的28S rDNA和COI基因中重建进化史。这项研究将提供数据，可用于解决几个长期存在的问题，包括了解分化和胚胎发生的进化和发育可塑性。

This project will examine the Hox genes, which specify the fundamental organization of body plans, to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of lophotrochozoans. As one of the three major lineages of bilateral animals, this group contains the greatest diversity of body plan organization and are purported to encompas at least 10 recognized phyla (including annelids, mollusks, ectoprocts, brachipods, and platyhelminthes). Before the factors that shaped metazoan macroevolution and diversification are understood, the evolutionary relationships of the lophotrochozoans are critically needed. In addition to constructing gene geneologies, this work will employ information on organization and gene composition of the Hox cluster. To this end, four bacterial artifical chromosome libraries will be produced, thus allowing the entire Hox cluster to be sequenced. To augment this library, evolutionary history will be reconstructed from 28S rDNA and COI genes for 49 lophotrochozoan taxa. This study will provide data that can be used to address several long-standing issues, including understanding the evolutionary and developmental plasticity of segmentation and embryogenesis.