Genome Mapping Resources for the Budgerigar

衰老的自由基理论假设细胞内的有氧活动产生活性氧，导致大分子损伤，这是生物体衰老（衰老）的潜在因素。然而，氧化应激增加对寿命影响的分子基础仍然知之甚少。增加我们对天然抗氧化应激的生物学基础的理解是虎皮鹦鹉，Melopsitaccus undulatus。虎皮鹦鹉是一种飞行的鸟类，其特点是尽管代谢率高，因此暴露于氧化应激，但寿命却异常长。 使用虎皮鹦鹉作为研究衰老生物学的模式物种的其他理由包括作为宠物的广泛可用性，关于其生理和营养需求的广泛知识以及短繁殖周期和潜在的大家庭规模。然而，尽管如此，由于我们对其基因组的了解不足，其用于研究某些机制（如氧化应激）的分子基础是有限的。 这些知识将有助于使用比较基因组学的新兴工具来确定构成虎皮鹦鹉对氧化应激的特殊抵抗力的基因。 为了开始解决这种缺乏基因组信息的虎皮鹦鹉，我们建议在目前的R03项目，以开发资源和基因组试剂所需的建设一个虎皮鹦鹉基因组图谱。 将开发的资源包括回交参考小组和基于图基鸡、鹌鹑和火鸡标记的跨物种扩增的DNA标记。在随后的R01项目中，开发的资源将导致构建具有强烈老年学兴趣的模式生物的第一个基因组图谱。 一张图谱将有助于应用反向遗传学的工具来鉴定虎皮鹦鹉抗氧化应激的基因，或者使用比较基因组学与更密切相关（与哺乳动物相比）但寿命短的鸟类，包括鹌鹑和鸡，来鉴定这些基因。 该项目将允许开发一个协调和指导的虎皮鹦鹉基因组绘图项目，由一名在鸟类基因组学方面具有丰富背景的遗传学家和一名在衰老研究中使用动物模型（包括鸟类）方面具有丰富经验的生物学家领导。

The free radical theory of aging postulates that aerobic activities within the cell produce reactive oxygen species which cause damage to macromolecules, an underlying factor in organismal aging (senescence). The molecular basis of the effect of increased oxidative stress on longevity, however, remains very little understood. Increasing our understanding of the biological basis of natural resistance to oxidative stress is the budgerigar, Melopsitaccus undulatus. The budgerigar is a flying bird that is characterized by an exceptional longevity despite a high metabolic rate and consequent exposure to oxidative stress. Additional rationale for using the budgerigar as a model species for studying the biology of aging include wide availability as a pet, extensive knowledge about its physiology and nutritional requirements as well as short breeding cycles and potentially large family sizes. Despite these, however, its use to investigate the molecular basis of certain mechanisms like oxidative stress is limited because of our poor knowledge of its genome. Such knowledge will facilitate the use of emerging tools of comparative genomics to identify the genes that underlie the budgerigar's exceptional resistance to oxidative stress. To begin to address this paucity in genomic information for the budgerigar, we propose in the present R03 project to develop resources and genomic reagents needed for the construction of a budgerigar genome map. The resources that will be developed include a backcross reference panel and DNA markers based on cross-species amplification of map-based chicken, quail and turkey markers. The resources developed will lead, in a subsequent R01 project, to the construction of the first genome map of a model organism with a strong gerontological interest. A map will be useful in applying the tools of reverse genetics to identify the genes that underlie resistance to oxidative stress in the budgerigar or to use comparative genomics with more closely related (compared to mammals) but short-lived birds, including the quail and chicken, to identify these genes. The project will permit the development of a coordinated and directed budgerigar genome-mapping project led by a geneticist with a strong background in avian genomics and a biologist with extensive experience in the use of animal models, including birds, in aging research.