The molecular basis of morphological change; antennal variation in crustaceans

确定形态差异是如何产生的是进化论中一个非常重要的课题。 生物学，但一个非常难以解决的实验。然而，随着最近出现的 在进化和发育生物学（evo-devo）领域，现在可以将新的 有趣的物种进入实验室，询问分子和遗传学问题。 大多数进化-发育研究要么关注宏观进化（大规模），要么关注微观进化（小规模）。 微进化研究在发现导致形态学改变的遗传变化方面非常有价值 变化，因为所讨论的人口之间的时间差相对较短。一个问题 仍然存在的问题是，微进化变化的路径是否在较短的时间尺度上代表了 在更大的时间尺度上的变化路径。为了真正理解人类在进化过程中 物种形成，我们需要解决看似不可能的目标，看看形态的遗传学 物种的进化被巨大的时间差异所分隔。 弥合短时间尺度上的进化和长时间尺度上的进化之间的差距的一种方法 规模是看一个形态，显示出物种内和物种之间的巨大多样性。我们 建议在三个不同的时间尺度上从分子和遗传学角度研究触角的发育： 昆虫和甲壳类动物之间，不同甲壳类动物之间，以及甲壳类动物内部 有种内触角变异的昆虫我们将使用候选基因的方法， 已知参与昆虫触角发育的基因在甲壳类物种中的表达， 不同的触角形态我们还将在甲壳类动物中对其中一些基因进行功能性研究 夏威夷副透明体，一个适合分子分析的物种。使用候选基因方法，我们 将研究种内触角的变化，在一个物种，洞穴和表面居住的人口。 研究表型变化背后的遗传和分子基础对医学来说非常重要。 人类遗传学的主要目标之一是弄清楚什么样的遗传变化是负责任的 疾病和其他条件。了解表型变化的遗传和分子基础， 实验室实验可能的物种将允许洞察进化过程： 受影响的基因类型、这些基因中有哪些类型的突变以及基因中有多少变异。 特定的性状是由基因和环境编码的。这些信息将产生更大的 对进化变化的理解将有助于人类基因组的分析。

Determining how morphological differences arise is a subject of great importance in evolutionary biology but one that has been very difficult to address experimentally. However, with the recent advent of the field of evolutionary and developmental biology (evo-devo), it is now becoming feasible to bring new and interesting species into the lab to ask molecular and genetic questions. Most evo-devo studies either focus on macroevolution (large-scale) or microevolution (small-scale). Microevolutionary studies have been very valuable in discovering genetic changes causing morphological change because the time difference separating the populations in question is relatively short. One question that still remains is whether the path of microevolutionary change represents on a shorter time scale the path of changes on a larger time scale. To really understand the evolution of morphological change in speciation, we need to address the seemingly impossible goal of looking at the genetics of morphological evolution in species separated by great time differences. One way of bridging the gap between evolution on a short time scale and evolution on a longer time scale is to look at a morphology that shows great diversity both within species and between species. We propose to study antennal development molecularly and genetically across three different time scales: between insects and crustaceans, between different crustacean species, and within a crustacean species that has intraspecific antennal variation. We will be using a candidate gene approach, assaying gene expression of genes known to be involved in antennal development in insects in crustacean species with differing antennal morphologies. We will also functionally pursue some of these genes in the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis, a species amenable to molecular analyses. Using a candidate genetic approach, we will examine intraspecific antennal variation in a species that has cave and surface dwelling populations. Studying the genetic and molecular basis behind phenotypic change is very important from a medical standpoint; one of the major goals in human genetics is to figure out what genetic changes are responsible for diseases and other conditions. Understanding the genetic and molecular basis of phenotypic change in species in which laboratory experiments are possible will allow insight into the process of evolution: what types of genes are affected, what types of mutations are in these genes, and how much of the variation in a particular trait is encoded genetically and environmentally. This information will yield a greater understanding of evolutionary change which will be helpful in the analysis of the human genome.