Molecular evolution of sexual systems genes and their role in speciation

性的起源和物种的起源是进化生物学中突出的重大挑战。我们实验室的研究项目已经从研究性别和生殖相关（SRR）基因的遗传和分子变异，到了解SRR基因在物种形成中的作用，最后到研究为什么从进化上讲，生物体保持性别。我们的实验室因过去和现在的工作而得到认可，证明了性和生殖相关基因的快速进化及其在物种形成中的潜在作用。我们进一步表明，在与性别相关的基因中，男性偏好基因比女性偏好基因和无偏见基因进化得更快，男性驱动的性选择（简称男性性欲）似乎是快速进化变化的驱动力。在目前的研究计划中，我们将重点关注性选择（雄性和雌性驱动）、基因表达中的性别二态性和物种形成的分子机制的交叉点上的相关问题。我们建议运用现代遗传学、分子生物学、生物信息学和发育生物学的工具来分析性系统基因/性状，并测试一系列关于雄性和雌性驱动的性选择在性别偏倚基因表达的进化、两性二态性状的快速进化、基因组不相容的进化和物种形成中的相对作用的假设。这项研究计划的新颖之处在于，它试图将进化生物学中尚存的两大挑战——性别的维持和物种的起源——联系起来。我们对SRR基因的研究将为统一的物种形成遗传理论提供经验基础。

The origin of sex and the origin of species are outstanding grand challenges in evolutionary biology. Our lab's research program has evolved from studying genetic and molecular variation in sex and reproduction-related (SRR) genes, to understanding the role of SRR genes in speciation, and finally to the study of why, evolutionarily, organisms maintain sex. Our lab has been recognized for past and current work demonstrating the rapid evolution of sex and reproduction-related genes and their potential role in speciation. We have further shown that among sex-related genes, male-biased genes evolve faster than female-biased and un-biased genes and that male-driven sexual selection (male sex drive, for short) appears to be a driving force of rapid evolutionary change. In the present research proposal, we focus on related problems that lie at the intersection of sexual selection (both male- and female-driven), sexual dimorphism in gene expression and molecular mechanisms of speciation. We propose to apply modern tools of genetics, molecular, bioinformatics and developmental biology to the analysis of sexual system genes/traits and test a set of hypotheses bearing on the relative role of male- vs. female-driven sexual selection in the evolution of sex-biased gene expression, the rapid evolution of sexually dimorphic traits, the evolution of genomic incompatibilities, and speciation. The novelty of this research proposal lies in its attempt to connect the two remaining grand challenges in evolutionary biology: the maintenance of sex and origin of species. Our work on SRR genes will provide the empirical foundation for a unified, genetic theory of speciation.