CAREER: Mitonuclear conflict and co-evolution in a wild polyploid animal

动物细胞部分是由它们的两个不同的DNA来源之间的关系来定义的，一个来自细胞核，一个来自线粒体。这些DNA来源之间的有效交流对能量产生和生存至关重要，它们的兼容性可以影响物种如何繁殖、调节生理和彼此分化。由于细胞核和线粒体之间的持续合作是生存的基础，因此研究这些细胞成分之间错误沟通的后果的机会很少。这个项目使用了一组独特的全雌性蝾螈，它们拥有进化上独特的线粒体基因组，被迫与其他物种雄性的核基因组相互作用。这些蝾螈如何在应对极其复杂的基因组挑战的同时坚持了数百万年，这有助于我们理解当线粒体基因组和核基因组产生冲突时，其他生物体是如何遭受严重后果的。该项目将整合来自不同大学的生物学科，学生将获得在不同数据驱动领域的职业培训。同时，该项目的数据将直接整合到大学课程中，以提高学生的数据分析和科学沟通技能。了解有丝核相互作用是如何进化和维持的，对于理解有丝核错配的后果是必要的，无论是由于新的突变还是物种和种群之间的杂交。为了将有丝核基因型与功能表型联系起来，本研究包括序列进化、线粒体性能和全动物代谢的测量。这将提供一个全面的画面，说明在面对频繁的基因渗入的情况下，全雌性蝾螈的核分裂关系是如何进化和维持数百万年的。第一个项目的目标是描述蝾螈种群在几代和数百万年间共享的线粒体和核基因组之间的进化关系。第二个目标将评估来自线粒体和核基因组的基因选择的措施，这些基因必须相互作用才能形成基本的代谢途径。第三个目标是将分子测量与细胞器和整个动物尺度上的生理表现联系起来。最终目标将为蝾螈提供新的全基因组资源，以了解已确定的有丝核相互作用的基因组背景。尽管蝾螈在生物医学、进化和生态学研究中具有重要意义，但由于大型重复基因组带来的技术挑战，蝾螈在基因组资源分类上一直是一个样本不足的群体。该项目将广泛地为蝾螈提供急需的基因组资源。该项目由生物科学理事会的以下项目共同资助：环境生物学部门的进化过程，分子和细胞生物科学部门的遗传机制，以及综合有机体系统部门的生理和结构系统。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Animal cells are partially defined by the relationship between their two different sources of DNA, one from the nucleus and one from the mitochondria. Efficient communication between these sources of DNA is essential for energy production and survival, and their compatibility can influence how species reproduce, regulate their physiology, and diverge from one another. Because the ongoing collaboration between the nucleus and mitochondria is foundational to survival, opportunities to study the consequences of miscommunication between these cellular components are rare. This project uses a unique group of all-female salamanders that possess an evolutionary distinct mitochondrial genome that is forced to interact with nuclear genomes taken from males of other species. How these salamanders have persevered for millions of years while managing their enormously complex genomic challenge can help us understand how other organisms suffer severe consequences when their mitochondrial and nuclear genomes produce conflicts. This project will integrate across biological disciplines from different universities and students will acquire training for careers in diverse, data-driven fields. At the same time, the data from this project will be directly integrated into university curriculum to forward initiatives that increase students’ data analytics and scientific communication skills.Understanding how mitonuclear interactions evolve and are maintained is necessary for understanding the consequences of mitonuclear mismatch, whether due to new mutations or interbreeding between species and populations. To connect mitonuclear genotypes to functional phenotypes, this research includes measurements of sequence evolution, mitochondrial performance, and whole-animal metabolism. This will provide a comprehensive picture for how mitonuclear relationships in all-female salamanders have evolved and are maintained over millions of years in the face of frequent introgression. The first project aim will describe the evolutionary relationships between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes being shared between salamander groups over generations and millions of years. The second aim will estimate measures of selection for genes originating from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes that must interact to form basic metabolic pathways. The third aim will connect the molecular measurements to physiological performance at both organelle and whole-animal scales. The final aim will provide new whole-genome resources for salamanders to understand the genomic context of identified mitonuclear interactions. Despite their importance in biomedical, evolutionary, and ecological studies, salamanders have been an undersampled taxonomic group for genomic resources due to the technological challenges issued by large, repetitive genomes. This project will provide much needed genomic resources for salamanders broadly.This project is jointly funded by the following programs in the Directorate for Biological Sciences: Evolutionary Processes in the Division of Environmental Biology, Genetic Mechanisms in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and Physiological and Structural Systems in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.