Development genetics of adaptive wing pattern variation in butterflies

描述（由申请人提供）：解决复杂适应性状如何被基因调控的差异的比较研究，为有效靶向疾病可能需要的各种诊断和治疗提供了基本见解。Heliconius蝴蝶种类H. erato和H. melpomene在新热带地区表现出平行的颜色模式多样化，形成多达30个模仿复合体。这个高度易于处理的系统提供了许多颜色模式趋同和分化的例子，因此可以作为理解快速进化的复杂表型的遗传调控的代理。在这些物种中，负责不同颜色模式的遗传开关已被缩小到三个位点，其中两个已被细化到每个基因组间隔约400KB。这项拟议的研究旨在深入研究这些蝴蝶中负责发散和收敛颜色模式表型的基因。为了实现这一目标，包含跨越这些位点的DNA和全基因组转录本的微阵列将被杂交到来自五个彩色图案种的六个发育阶段的羽翼组织中。这些阵列上的差异杂交分析将用于评估每个位点内负责颜色图案差异的基因，这些调节基因引发的基因模块和假设途径，以及这些途径之间的遗传相互作用。快速进化的性状可能在其潜在的基因表达中具有高变异甚至无功能。每个颜色模式种族的多个个体的组织将被杂交到微阵列中，以探索候选基因之间基因表达的自然变化。与颜色图案有关的基因将进一步使用RNA和蛋白质表达的空间分析，在翅膀组织中使用原位杂交和抗体。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Comparative studies addressing the variation in how complex adaptive traits can be genetically regulated provide basic insights into the diverse diagnosis and treatments that may be needed to effectively target disease. Heliconius butterfly species H. erato and H. melpomene exhibit parallel color pattern diversifications across the Neotropics, forming up to 30 mimicry complexes. This highly tractable system provides numerous examples of color pattern convergence and divergence, and thus serves as a proxy for understanding the genetic regulation of rapidly evolving complex phenotypes. The genetic switches responsible for the diverse color patterns in these species have been narrowed to three loci, two of which have been refined to a genomic interval of ~400KB each. The proposed study seeks to hone in on the genes responsible for both divergent and convergent color pattern phenotypes in these butterflies. Towards this goal, microarrays containing both DNA tiled across these loci and whole-genomic transcripts will be hybridized to wing tissues across six developmental stages from five color pattern races of H. erato. Analyses of differential hybridization on these arrays will be used to assess the genes responsible for color pattern differences within each locus, the gene modules and hypothetical pathways elicited by these regulatory genes, and the genetic interactions between these pathways. Rapidly evolving traits may have high variance or even non-functionality in their underlying gene expression. Tissues of multiple individuals of each color pattern race will be hybridized to microarrays to explore the natural variation in gene expression across candidate genes. Genes implicated in color pattern will be analyzed further using spatial analysis of RNA and protein expression in wing tissue using in situ hybridization and antibodies. Public Health Relevance: By examining the genetics behind diverse mimetic color patterns of butterflies we gain a model system for understanding how genetic interactions and gene architecture govern changes in complex traits with a high impact on survival. This will enhance understanding of the genetic regulation of the complex adaptive traits of disease and disease resistance and, therefore, highlight the multitude of strategies that may be needed to both diagnose and treat disease.