DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Investigating the Functions and Phenotypes of Recently Originated Genes and Their Roles in Lineage-Specific Evolution

为了了解动物的进化多样性，申请者将调查果蝇属多种果蝇的表型变异及其遗传基础。与不同表型特征的联系已被映射到蛋白质编码变化、顺式调节变化和谱系特异性基因。申请者最近的发现表明，许多年轻的基因在生物体发育中发挥了关键作用。这项研究将(1)利用进化遗传分析和基因沉默技术研究年轻基因的生殖贡献；(2)利用基于实验基因组学的基因芯片技术检测它们与基因组中其他基因的相互作用；(3)通过对相关物种的比较分析，研究它们在物种分化中的作用。这些努力将促进对基因进化和表型进化基本问题的理解。这些研究将在理解生物系统方面带来概念创新。申请者还将创建新的数据并与公众分享。此外，申请者还将培训本科生、其他学校和不同学科的访问学生，以鼓励更多有才华的本科生进入研究生院，培养跨学科调查。申请者将有目的地发起与国内和国际不同机构的多个研究小组的更多合作。关于基因起源的知识对于理解人类进化很重要。拟议的项目将引起包括科学家和非科学家在内的广大受众的普遍兴趣，该项目的发现将在普通公众的科学教育中发挥作用。

To understand the evolutionary diversification of animals, the applicants will investigate the variation of phenotypes and their genetic basis in multiple species of fruitflies in the genus Drosophila. The connection to diverse phenotypic features has been mapped to protein-coding changes, cis-regulatory changes and lineage-specific genes. The applicants' recent discoveries showed that many young genes played essential roles in organism development. This research will (1) investigate the reproductive contribution of young genes using the evolutionary genetic analysis and gene silencing techniques, (2) detect their interactions with other genes in the genome using the gene-chip based techniques of experimental genomics, and (3) study their roles in the species divergence by comparative analysis of related species. These efforts will advance the understanding of fundamental problems of gene evolution and phenotypic evolution. These studies will bring conceptual innovations in the understanding of biological systems. The applicants will also create new data and share with the public. Furthermore, the applicants will train undergraduate students, visiting students from other schools and different disciplines, to encourage more talented undergraduates to enter graduate schools and nurture cross-disciplinary investigation. The applicants will purposely initiate more collaborate with multiple research groups in various institutions both nationally and internationally. The knowledge on gene origination is important to the understanding of human evolution. The proposed project will be of general interest to the broad audience including scientists and non-scientists and the discoveries from this project will play a role in scientific education for the general public.