Collaborative Research: cis-Regulatory Basis of Butterfly Wing Pattern Evolution

长期以来，理解颜色图案的形成一直是理解生物学的中心主题。蝴蝶翅膀的颜色图案是探索翅膀图案的历史、基因和机制的主要模型。单个基因（WntA）驱动许多远亲物种的翅膀表面形状变化，从而表明蝴蝶翅膀形成的基本和祖先功能。来自波多黎各大学、乔治华盛顿大学和康奈尔大学的研究小组将调查不同种类蝴蝶翅膀表面色素分布的基因变化。这项研究的目的是确定WntA如何获得在多个时间尺度上控制不同翅膀显示的能力。这项研究将为理解基因调控与形态多样性之间的相互作用奠定基础。技术描述本研究旨在确定基因调控结构如何在不同的时间尺度上与适应性性状一起进化。研究小组将特别关注信号配体WntA在翅膀图案进化中重复作用的调节机制。这项工作将解决WntA空间表达的调节如何在6500万年中修补不同翅膀表型的微观和宏观进化。我们将特别致力于解决以下问题：(1)单个基因中有多少调控元件控制翼型变异，以及单个元件的功能是什么？(2)在不相关的物种中，相同的元素是否也控制着模仿表型的趋同进化？(3)不同翅型差异的物种间，翅型遗传基因的保守性和新颖性在多大程度上不同？回答这些问题将有助于为理解cre进化与它们所定义的性状之间关系的更深层次的系统发育模式树立先例。最后，本研究项目将与大学预科、本科和研究生阶段的科学教育相结合。我们三个小组的研究工作将直接涉及本科生研究人员和两名博士后的培养。

Non-technical descriptionUnderstanding the formation of color patterns has long played a central theme in understanding biology. Butterfly wing color patterns represent a prime model to explore the history, genes, and mechanisms underlying wing patterning. A single gene (WntA) drives shape changes across the wing surface in many distantly related species, thus suggesting a fundamental and ancestral function in butterfly wing formation. The research team from the University of Puerto Rico, George Washington University, and Cornell University will investigate the gene changes underlying distribution of pigmentation across the wing surface among a variety of butterfly species. The goal of the study is to determine how WntA has acquired the ability to control diverse wing displays across multiple time scales. This study will set the foundation for understanding the interplay between gene regulation and diversity of form. Technical descriptionThis study aims to determine how gene regulatory architecture evolves in concert with an adaptive trait over different time scales. The research team will specifically focus on characterizing the regulatory mechanisms underlying the repeated role of the signaling ligand WntA in wing pattern evolution. This work will address how the modulation of WntA spatial expression has tinkered with the micro- and macroevolution of distinct wing phenotypes across 65 million years. We will specifically aim to address the following questions: (1) How many regulatory elements at a single gene control wing pattern variation, and what are the function of individual elements? (2) Do the same elements also control the convergent evolution of mimetic phenotypes in unrelated species? (3) To what extent are wing pattern CREs conserved versus novel across species with highly divergent wing patterns? Answering these questions will help set a precedent for understanding deeper phylogenetic patterns in the relationship between the evolution of CREs and the traits they define. Finally, this research project will synergize with educational opportunities spanning pre-college, undergraduate, and post-graduate levels of science education. The research work of our three groups will directly involve undergraduate researchers and the training of two postdocs.