Evolution of sperm morphology genes in sea urchins

描述(由申请人提供)：了解当前基因组序列中丰富的遗传数据如何转化为具有重要功能的特征是基因组研究的一个基本目标。对于这个问题，一种新出现的强有力的方法将密切相关的物种与关键形态特征的元素差异进行比较，以确定引起重要生物特征的基因。通过比较这些物种的遗传序列和表达谱，可以了解形态上的新颖性、形态发生的调节以及形态关键基因的分子进化。这项拟议的研究有两个目标：确定与精子形态有关的基因，并调查具有不同精子形态的密切相关物种中的这些基因，以了解遗传变异和重要的形态修饰之间的关系。该项目将使用海胆实施，这有助于对其生殖和发育生物学的广泛了解，以及正在进行的基因组测序项目。这项研究的结果有望在未来应用于人类生育研究，以及更好地理解基因如何影响表型。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Understanding how the wealth of genetic data in current genome sequences translates into functionally significant traits is a fundamental goal in genome research. An emerging powerful approach to this question compares closely related species with elemental differences in key morphological traits in order to identify genes that give rise to important organismal features. Comparing genetic sequences and expression profiles across these species allows an understanding of morphological novelty, regulation of morphogenesis, and molecular evolution at morphologically critical genes. The goals of the proposed research are two-fold: to identify genes responsible for sperm morphology, and to survey those genes in closely related species with variable sperm morphology in order to understand the relationship between genetic variation and morphologically important modifications. This project will be implemented using sea urchins, aided by a vast understanding of their reproductive and developmental biology as well as an ongoing genome sequencing project. The results of this research promise future applications to fertility studies in humans as well as a greater understanding of how genotype influences phenotype.