Functional specificity of paralogs in a family of developmental genes.

我的实验室研究一个基因家族，Dlx基因，它在大量动物物种的胚胎发育过程中起着重要的调控作用。它们是在发育过程中发生的遗传级联的一部分，以确定不同的细胞类型和胚胎的模式，特别是在鳃弓中，胚胎结构产生面部骨骼，大脑的特定部位，耳朵，嗅觉器官和四肢。在斑马鱼中，这个家族由8个成员组成，目前还不清楚每个家族成员的具体作用。我们有能力使用一种名为CRISPR-Cas9的方法从基因组中去除一些Dlx基因。我们也可以使用相同的方法将一个家庭成员替换为另一个家庭成员。我们将确定这种基因缺失或替换对胚胎发育的影响。这项研究将使我们能够了解基因如何在进化过程中获得新的功能，从而参与形态和功能创新的出现。我们的研究还将帮助我们更好地了解基因如何控制发育中胚胎的形态。

My laboratory studies a family of genes, the Dlx genes, which play important regulatory roles during development of the embryos of a large number of animal species. They are parts of genetic cascades taking place during development to determine the different cell types and the patterning of the embryo, notably in the branchial arches, embryonic structures that give rise to skeleton of the face, in specific parts of the brain, in the ears, in the olfactory organs and in the limbs. In the zebrafish, this family comprises 8 members and it is still unknown what is the specific role of each family member. We have the ability to remove some of the Dlx genes from the genome using a method named CRISPR-Cas9. We are also able to replace one family member with another using the same approach. We will determine the consequences on embryonic development of such gene deletions or replacements. This research will enable us to understand how genes acquire new functions during evolution, thus participating in the emergence of morphological and functional innovations. Our research will also help us better understand how genes control the morphology of the developing embryo.