The Genetics and Evolution of Hybrid Male Sterility in House Mice

杂交后代通常是不育的，这种生殖隔离的遗传原因为新物种的起源提供了线索。这个项目将使用家鼠来研究杂交不育的遗传和进化。家鼠物种相对年轻，因此在物种形成过程的早期阶段就有可能了解一个重要的生殖障碍的遗传学。基因图谱将被用来识别导致家鼠物种间杂交雄性不育的基因组区域。将测量跨越自然杂交区域的DNA交换的速度，以检验杂交不育区域导致物种保持独特的预测。家鼠物种的进化关系将使用新的基因组序列和统计工具来重建。这项研究将促进对物种形成和生育的遗传基础的理解。这项工作将为利用家鼠可用的强大资源识别与物种形成有关的特定基因奠定基础。许多相同的基因影响小鼠和人类的生育能力，因此该项目的结果可能指向导致人类男性不育的基因。两名博士后研究人员将通过参与该项目进行培训。此外，来自该项目的信息将被纳入开发一个关于物种形成过程的互联网教程，将分发给高中生物教师使用。

Hybrid offspring are often sterile, and the genetic causes of this reproductive isolation provide clues about how new species originate. This project will use the house mouse to study the genetics and evolution of hybrid sterility. House mouse species are relatively young, making it possible to understand the genetics of an important reproductive barrier at an early stage in the speciation process. Genetic mapping will be used to identify regions of the genome that cause hybrid male sterility between species of house mice. The rate at which DNA is exchanged across natural hybrid zones will be measured to test the prediction that the hybrid sterility regions cause species to remain distinct. The evolutionary relationships of house mouse species will be reconstructed using new genome sequences and statistical tools.This research will advance understanding of the genetic basis of speciation and fertility. This work will set the stage for identifying specific genes involved in speciation using the powerful resources that are available for house mice. Many of the same genes affect fertility in mice and humans, so results from this project could point to genes that contribute to male infertility in humans. Two post-doctoral researchers will be trained through participation in this project. Additionally, information from the project will be incorporated to develop an internet tutorial on the process of speciation that will be distributed for use by high school biology teachers.