Collaborative Research: Genetic Determinants of MammalianLlimb Biodiversity

肢体的结构是哺乳动物摄食、运动和行为适应的基础。例如，蝙蝠的翅膀能够进行动力飞行，鲸鱼的鳍状肢是一种水生生活方式，马匹的单趾蹄子可以在陆地上快速移动。哺乳动物肢体结构的物种差异主要是由于在妊娠后期形成的肢体基本结构(上臂/腿、小臂/腿、手/脚)的进化微调而产生的。然而，这种多样性可能在胚胎发育过程中更早开始。本研究主要研究蝙蝠、负鼠和小鼠等不同哺乳动物胚胎肢体的形态和分子差异。这些研究将使用现代分子生物学和计算方法。该项目代表了对哺乳动物肢体发育的第一次全面的、多物种的比较，因此有可能对控制肢体发育的基本机制以及它们如何影响哺乳动物的肢体进化产生变革性的见解。此外，由于人类是哺乳动物，这些研究将直接促进对塑造人类进化史的机制的理解。这项与伊利诺伊大学的Karen Sears博士和爱达荷州立大学的Chris Cretekos博士合作的项目利用了该团队在哺乳动物胚胎学、分子生物学、古生物学、进化生物学以及实验室和野外生物学方面的集体专业知识，以创新的方式协同处理这一生物学主题。这项进化发育生物学研究强调使用研究不足的哺乳动物模型进行研究，即蝙蝠和有袋类负鼠。这些研究对生物学研究的更广泛影响将是扩大知识和培训，超越更典型的研究啮齿动物，如老鼠，以全面了解肢体多样性和进化。

The structure of the limb is fundamental to a mammal's feeding, movement, and behavioral adaptations. For example, the wings of bats enable powered flight, the flippers of whales an aquatic lifestyle, and the one-toed hooves of horses rapid movement on land. Species differences in mammalian limb structure have arisen primarily through evolutionary fine-tuning of the limb's basic structures (upper arm/leg, lower arm/leg, hand/foot) that form during late gestation. However, it is possible that this diversity initiates much earlier during embryonic development. This study focuses on defining the morphological and molecular differences of the embryonic limbs between diverse mammalian species, including bat, opossum, and mouse. Modern molecular biology and computational methods will be used in these studies. This project represents the first comprehensive, multi-species comparison of mammalian limb development, and therefore has the potential to yield transformative insights into the fundamental mechanisms controlling limb development and how they have impacted mammalian limb evolution. Furthermore, since humans are mammals, these studies will directly advance an understanding of the mechanisms that have shaped human evolutionary history. This collaborative project with Dr. Karen Sears (University of Illinois) and Dr. Chris Cretekos (Idaho State University) exploits the collective expertise of this group in mammalian embryology, molecular biology, paleontology, evolutionary biology, and laboratory and field biology to synergistically approach this biological topic in an innovative manner. This evolutionary developmental biology study emphasizes research using mammalian models that are understudied, i.e. the bat and the marsupial opossum. The broader impact of these studies on biological research will be to expand knowledge and training beyond the more typically studied rodents like the mouse for a holistic understanding of limb diversity and evolution.