Identification and characterization of the protein coding genes that direct calcified tube formation in the polychaete Spirorbis spirorbis.

许多多细胞动物形成钙化结构。虽然形成这些生物矿物质的分子机制具有不同的进化历史，但似乎不同的分类群共享生物矿化的遗传工具包的一些组成部分。了解这些遗传成分的进化起源，以及它们的功能运作方式，对后生动物进化生物学具有重要意义。迄今为止，大多数注意力集中在脊椎动物、棘皮动物和软体动物上。然而，为了阐明后生动物的生物矿化能力是如何起源的，研究和表征来自动物界一系列分类群的“骨骼发育工具包”是至关重要的。环节动物门的许多物种形成钙化管，大量的化石记录证明它们早就这样做了。然而，钙化的遗传和分子机制从未被任何环节动物描述过。我提议对一种多毛纲环节动物——螺旋管虫进行第一次生物矿化的分子分析。该项目整合了由拟宿主领导的关于软体动物生物矿化的平行项目，将大大拓宽浮游动物生物矿化策略的比较知识库。因此，该项目将阐明在光藻和后生动物中生物矿化的演变。

A wide range of multicellular animals form calcified structures. Although the molecular mechanisms that form these biominerals have different evolutionary histories, it appears that different taxa share some components of a genetic toolkit for biomineralization. Understanding the evolutionary origins of these genetic components, and how they functionally operate, is of great importance to metazoan evolutionary biology. To date, most attention has focused on vertebrates, echinoderms, and molluscs. However, in order to clarify how the metazoan capacity to biomineralize originated, it is pivotal to study and characterize the ‘skeletogenetic toolkits’ from a range of taxa across the animal kingdom. Many species within the Phylum Annelida form calcified tubes, and an extensive fossil record testifies that they have long done so. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms of calcification have never been described for any annelid species. I propose to conduct the first molecular analysis of biomineralization in a polychaete annelid, the tube worm Spirorbis spirorbis. This project integrates with parallel projects concerning molluscan biomineralization led by the proposed host, and will greatly broaden the comparative knowledge base of lophotrochozoan biomineralization strategies. This project will therefore shed light on the evolution of biomineralization within the Lophotrochozoa and the Metazoa in general.