Evolutionary, developmental, and physiological genetics of salmonid fishes

了解基因如何相互作用，如何与周围环境相互作用，从而给个体带来变化，仍然是现代生物学中最大的挑战之一。我们现在对许多基因有了一定的了解，这些基因在导致发育变化和适应新环境的过程中起着重要的作用，然而，我们仍然缺乏精确的知识，从许多相互作用的遗传因素中，哪些基因可能是这些过程中最重要的决定因素。我们还需要很长一段时间才能理解脊椎动物体内的所有基因是如何相互组织的，以及基因的多个拷贝的保留对适应和生存是否重要。大多数脊椎动物的祖先至少经历了两次全基因组复制（即身体中所有基因和染色体加倍），而现代硬骨鱼类的祖先则经历了一次额外的全基因组复制。有人认为，这轮额外的基因组复制解释了为什么我们有更多的鱼类（约3万种），而不是所有其他脊椎动物的总和。此外，一些鱼类（如鲑鱼和鳟鱼等鲑鱼类）经历了一次额外的基因组复制（即经历了4轮基因组复制）。影响生长和重要生活史特征（如性成熟年龄和季节性繁殖时间）的基因是影响鱼类在自然界生存的一些最重要的基因。本研究旨在确定影响鲑科鱼类生长和生活史适应特征的最重要的遗传因素。这项研究还试图了解基因是如何排列的，以及在鲑科鱼类的基因组中保留或丢失的。这些物种是脊椎动物复杂基因组变化的活生生的证明，因此从这项研究中获得的知识将进一步加深我们对脊椎动物基因组进化的理解。此外，遗传相互作用的研究可以帮助我们了解新种群是如何形成的，以及遗传相互作用是否有助于促进或抑制种群之间的遗传交换。

Understanding how genes interact with one another and with their surrounding environment to bring about changes in individuals remains one of the greatest challenges in modern biology. We are now gaining an understanding of many genes that are important in bringing about developmental change and adaptation to novel environmental situations, yet we still lack precise knowledge on which genes, from many interacting genetic elements, may be the most important determinants of these processes. We are also a long way from understanding how all the genes in the vertebrate body are organized with respect to one another, and whether the retention of multiple copies of genes are important in adaptation and survival. Most vertebrate species have descended from ancestors that have undergone at least two whole genome duplications (i.e. doubling of all the genes and chromosomes in their body), while modern bony fishes have descended from an ancestor that experienced one additional whole genome duplication. It has been suggested that this extra round of genome duplication accounts for why we have many more fish species (~30,000) compared to all other vertebrate classes combined. Additionally, some fishes (e.g. salmonids such as salmon and trout), have undergone one extra genome duplication (i.e. have undergone 4 rounds of genome duplication). Genes influencing growth and timing of important life-history traits (e.g. age of sexual maturity and time of seasonal reproduction), are some of the most important genes influencing fish survival in the natural world. This research seeks to identify the most important genetic elements influencing growth and life-history adaptation traits in salmonid fishes. This research also seeks to understand how genes are arranged, and retained or lost within the genomes of salmonid fishes. These species are living testaments to complex genome changes that have occurred in vertebrates, and thus knowledge from this research will further our understanding of vertebrate genome evolution. Additionally, the study of genetic interactions may help us to understand how new populations form, and whether genetic interactions help promote or inhibit genetic exchange among populations.