An invertebrate model for eye developmental genetics

该项目的长期目标是开发一种无脊椎、非模型系统来研究眼睛的发育。因为所有动物的眼睛发育过程都是保守的，所以研究任何动物都能让我们了解包括人类在内的发育系统的一般过程。本研究将描述甲壳类动物的眼睛发育特征。这个物种的雄性有大复眼，而雌性根本没有复眼。确定这种不寻常的眼睛二态现象的发育和遗传基础是本研究的一个具体目的。这一目标将通过隔离，具体的研究目标来实现。这一目标将通过在雄性和雌性甲壳类动物中分离、测序和表征四个高度保守的眼睛发育基因来实现。三种假设将被考虑来解释二态性：(1)眼睛基因与性别相关；(2)眼睛基因表达在男性和女性之间存在差异；(3)眼睛从女性发育早期开始，但后来通过程序性细胞死亡（PCD）丢失。这四种基因中的每一种都有与人眼发育相关的基因。这些基因的突变与许多人类疾病有关；不仅是眼睛，还有耳朵、鼻子和肾脏。确定雌性E. morini如何在不试验其他发育缺陷的情况下设法缺少眼睛，将为相关人类异常的发育基因提供新的见解。

The long-term goals of this project are to develop an invertebrate, non- model system for the study of eye development. Because many processes of eye development are conserved across all animals, studying any animal can teach us about general processes of developmental systems, including those of humans. This study will characterize eye development in the crustacean Euphilodes morina. Males of this species have large compound eyes, while females have no compound eyes at all. Determining the developmental and genetic basis of this unusual eye dimorphism is a specific aim of the proposed study. This aim will be accomplished by isolating, specific aim of the proposed study. This aim will be accomplished by isolating, sequencing, and characterizing expression of four highly conserved eye-development genes in both crustacean males and females. Three hypotheses will be considered to explain the dimorphism: (1) Eye genes are sex-linked, (2) Differences in eye-gene expression are present between males and females (3) Eyes from early in female development but later are lost through programmed cell death (PCD). Each of the four genes to be considered has related genes involved in human eye development. Mutations in these genes are involved in many human diseases; not only of the eyes but also of the ears, nose, and kidneys. Determining how female E. morini manage to lack eyes without experimenting other developmental defects will provide new insight into the developmental genes of related human anomalies.