DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Selection, drift, and constraint in the evolution of a developmental regulatory gene network

影响胚胎发育的基因变化在物种间差异的进化中起着重要作用。然而，由于基因在发育过程中在复杂的网络中相互作用，影响发育的特定基因变化与生物变化之间的关系并不直接。这项研究使用了两种近缘关系密切的海胆，即紫球海胆和海胆海胆，以了解发育过程中的遗传相互作用是如何进化的。通过研究这两个物种幼虫骨骼发育的特征明确的基因网络中的基因表达模式，以及这些物种之间的杂交后代，研究人员将确定该网络中物种之间进化的特定遗传交互作用。这些结果将告知网络中哪里积累了变化，以及物种之间特定的相互作用是如何进化的。复杂的遗传网络是生物系统的一个共同特征，包括涉及人类疾病的途径和过程。洞察网络对遗传变异的反应方式对于理解人类疾病以及工程生物系统都很重要。众所周知，这个海胆网络也受到与全球变暖相关的二氧化碳水平变化的影响。该项目将为许多致力于了解全球变化如何影响海洋生物健康的实验室提供重要资源。该项目高度重视本科生的参与，并将在本研究期间开发的计算和分析工具传播给更广泛的科学界。

Changes in genes affecting the development of embyros play an important role in the evolution of differences between species. However, because genes interact in complex networks during development, the relationship between specific genetic changes affecting development and organismal changes is not straightforward. This study uses two closely related species of sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and S. droebachiensis, to understand how genetic interactions during development evolve. By examining patterns of gene expression within the well-characterized network of genes underlying the development of the larval skeleton in these two species, and in the hybrid offspring between these species, the investigators will identify specific genetic interactions within the network that have evolved between the species. These results will inform where in the network changes accumulate and how specific interactions have evolved between species. Complex genetic networks are a common feature of biological systems, including pathways and processes involved in human disease. Insight into the ways networks respond to genetic variation are important for understanding human disease as well as engineering biological systems. This sea urchin network is also known to be affected by changes in CO2 levels associated with global warming. This project will provide an important resource to many laboratories working to understand the ways in which global change affect the health of marine organisms. The project places high priority on involvement of undergraduate students and dissemination to the broader scientific community of the computational and analytical tools that will be developed during this study.