Arabidopis 2010: Functional Evolutionary Genetics of an Arabidopsis Regulatory Polymorphism

识别和分离导致生物体适应的基因是现代进化遗传学的中心挑战，但在分子水平上分析的适应基因很少。拟南芥Constans(CO)基因的一个自然发生的突变导致了开花期的进化适应。本项目的一个主要目标是研究这一调控突变的起源和在拟南芥自然种群中的传播，并检测该突变对CO基因表达的影响。第二个目标是研究CO突变对第二个基因FRIGIDA自然发生突变的影响，FRIGIDA与CO基因平行作用。这项研究将描述一种适应性性状的功能遗传学，并研究调节变化在拟南芥生活史性状进化中所起的作用。所有数据和生物资源将通过出版物或ABRC和Genbank等长期储存库向公众提供。这项研究将研究植物如何适应环境变化，并增进对开花时间的理解，开花时间是作物适应的一个关键特征。除了对研究科学家进行分子遗传学和进化论方面的培训外，该项目还将加强科学新闻方面的培训。纽约大学新闻系研究生将以实习生的身份加入研究团队。新闻专业的学生将学习现代植物遗传学，而实验室的学生和博士后研究人员将学习如何与媒体专业人员互动。

The identification and isolation of genes that lead to adaptation of organisms is a central challenge of modern evolutionary genetics, yet very few adaptive genes have been analyzed at the molecular level. A naturally occurring mutation in the CONSTANS (CO) gene of Arabidopsis thaliana leads to evolutionary adaptation in flowering time. A major goal of this project is to study the origins and spread of this regulatory mutation in natural populations of A. thaliana and to examine the effects of the mutation on CO gene expression. The second goal is to investigate effects of the CO mutation on naturally-occurring mutations in a second gene, FRIGIDA, which acts in a parallel pathway to the CO gene. This research will characterize the functional genetics of an adaptive trait, and examine the role that regulatory change plays in the evolution of a life history trait in Arabidopsis thaliana. All data and biological resources will be made available to the public either through publications or long-term repositories such as ABRC and Genbank This research will examine how plants adapt to environmental change as well as advance understanding of flowering time, a key trait that is also important in crop adaptation. In addition to training research scientists in molecular genetics and evolution, the project will enhance training in science journalism. Graduate-level journalism students at New York University will join the research team as interns. The journalism students will learn about modern plant genetics while students and postdoctoral researchers in the laboratory will learn how to interact with media professionals.