DISSERTATION RESEARCH: DNA methylation and alternative splicing in termites

复杂生物体所具有的最重要的优势之一是能够根据环境变化而改变其生理机能。通过表观遗传机制的基因调控和表达是这种适应性生理的组成部分。表观遗传修饰，如DNA甲基化，代表了生物体在不改变基因组的情况下调节基因表达的基本重要方式。这个研究项目的重点是通过对群居昆虫的研究来了解DNA甲基化的功能。群居昆虫表现出一些最显著的适应性生理形式，其中多种形态（种姓）表现出劳动分工。研究小组将通过探索不同等级的内斑虫白蚁基因组中的DNA甲基化，研究DNA甲基化对基因表达调控的普遍性、变异和重要性。DNA甲基化与基因功能之间的关系将通过白蚁基因表达模式的研究，以及它们与不同种姓之间观察到的DNA甲基化水平的关系来探索。这项研究还将使人们对DNA甲基化如何影响基因剪接有更深入的了解。这项研究将促进我们对表观遗传机制的理解，表观遗传机制在许多生物的发育和疾病中起着重要作用。拟议的研究还将阐明白蚁的基本生物学，白蚁是农业和商业害虫的代表。最后，该研究计划将整合到一个新颖的校园本科教育计划中，该计划涉及在城市环境中饲养和研究蜜蜂。

One of the most important advantages complex organisms possess is the ability to change their physiology in response to the environment. The regulation and expression of genes through epigenetic mechanisms is integral to this adaptive physiology. Epigenetic modifications, such as the methylation of DNA, represent fundamentally important ways in which organisms regulate gene expression without associated changes to the genome. This research program focuses on understanding the function of DNA methylation through the study of social insects. Social insects display some of the most striking forms of adaptive physiology, wherein multiple morphological forms (castes) display division of labor. The research team will study the prevalence, variation, and importance of DNA methylation to the regulation of gene expression by exploring DNA methylation throughout the genome of different castes of the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. The relationship between DNA methylation and gene function will be explored through the examination of termite gene expression patterns, and their relationship to observed levels of DNA methylation among different castes. The research will also lead to a greater understanding of how DNA methylation affects gene splicing. The research will advance our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms, which play important roles in development and disease in many organisms. The proposed studies will also shed light on the basic biology of termites, which represent agricultural and commercial pests. Finally, the research program will be integrated into a novel on-campus, undergraduate education plan involving the keeping and studying of honey bees in an urban environment.