"Allopolyploid genomics, disease susceptibility, and sex chromosome evolution in frogs"

基因组复制复制遗传物质，并与冗余，物种形成和经济上重要的性状。 然而，与基因组复制相关的遗传现象仍然不清楚，即使它发生在许多熟悉物种的祖先中，如棉花，小麦，鲑鱼，酵母和人类。 这项拟议中的研究使用青蛙来探索基因组复制，目的是增加我们对其对基因组学，抗病性和性染色体进化的影响的理解。 这项研究的成果与加拿大有关。 首先，加拿大经济的一个主要组成部分是基于多倍体物种（具有基因组复制历史的物种），这项工作将探索不仅在青蛙，而且在这些经济上重要的物种中，在生长，生存和生产力方面发挥关键作用的基因组现象。 其次，我们将研究基因组复制如何影响疾病的易感性，一个主要的两栖动物病原体称为壶菌，具有全球性的分布。这种病原体已导致数十种两栖动物物种的灭绝，并被认为是保护生物学中最紧迫的问题之一。 它发生在加拿大，并由加拿大的物种携带，包括多倍体。 我们将测试基因组复制是否会增强、削弱或不影响物种被这种病原体感染的能力。 研究结果与加拿大野生和实验室两栖动物的管理直接相关，也与依赖两栖动物为食的鸟类和鱼类等经济上重要的野生动物直接相关。 第三，这项研究有望告诉我们许多物种所做的一个关键发育决定的遗传含义：是雄性还是雌性。 青蛙是不寻常的，因为它们使用各种遗传系统来确定性别。 因此，青蛙提供了一个独特的一瞥，许多物种，包括人类，为了协调性别分化而采取的早期基因组步骤。

Genome duplication copies genetic material and is associated with redundancy, speciation, and economically important traits. However, genetic phenomena associated with genome duplication remain obscure, even though it occurred in the ancestors of many familiar species such as cotton, wheat, salmon, yeast, and humans. The proposed research uses frogs to explore genome duplication with an aim of increasing our understanding of its implications for genomics, disease resistance, and sex chromosome evolution. This research has outcomes that are relevant to Canada. First, a major component of Canada's economy is based on polyploid species (species with a history of genome duplication) and this work will explore genomic phenomena that play crucial roles in growth, survival, and productivity not only in frogs, but also in these economically important species as well. Second, we will examine how genome duplication affects disease susceptibility to a major amphibian pathogen called chytrid fungus that has a global distribution. This pathogen has led to the extinction of dozens of amphibian species, and is recognized as one of the most pressing problems in conservation biology. It occurs in Canada, and it is carried by species in Canada, including polyploids. We will test whether genome duplication enhances, detracts, or does not affect the ability of species to become infected by this pathogen. Results have direct relevance to management of Canada's amphibians in the wild and in laboratories, and to economically important wildlife such as birds and fish that rely on amphibians for food. Third, this research promises to inform us about genetic implications of a critical developmental decision made by many species: whether to be male or female. Frogs are unusual because they use a variety of genetic systems to determine sex. Frogs therefore provide a unique glimpse into the early genomic steps that many species, including humans, take in order to orchestrate sexual differentiation.