Evolutionary Genetics of a Sea Urchin Skeletogenic Gene Network

海胆骨骼基因网络的进化遗传学

• 批准号: 0614509
• 负责人: Gregory Wray
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-01 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0614509&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolutionary; Genetics; Sea; Urchin; Skeletogenic

Evolutionary genetics of a sea urchin skeletogenic gene networkIntellectual merit. Genes interact with each other and with the environment to produce the organismal phenotypes upon which natural selection operates. These GxG and GxE interactions can influence responses to natural selection to a significant degree. This proposal outlines a project to measure the impact of genetic and environmental influences on phenotypic variation within an exceptionally welldefined network of interacting genes. The subject of these analyses is the skeletogenic gene network and resulting larval skeleton of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. The impact of genetic and environmental variation will be assayed at different levels of biological organization: molecular phenotypes will be measured as allele-specific transcription and organismal phenotypes will measured through morphometric analyses of anatomy. The Specific Aims are as follows: 1. Measure the genetic basis for network phenotypes. An 8 x 8 cross will be used to estimate genetic contributions to phenotypic variation, to identify genes whose expression contributes the most to phenotypic variation, and to measure the degree to which anatomical variation is buffered from variation in underlying gene expression. 2. Measure gene network-by-environment interactions. Manipulation of food level will be used to characterize the response of the gene network to changes in a key environmental variable, to measure how much genetic variation influences this response, and to identify specific genes that mediate phenotypic plasticity. Together, the results of these analyses will provide detailed information about the origins of complex trait variation across a well defined gene network and its anatomical product in a wild population, and provide insights into how variation in developmental processes affects ecologically relevant organismal phenotypes.Broader impacts. The influence of genetic and environmental factors on phenotypic variation has considerable general importance. This topic is a critical part of understanding evolutionary processes, but also has broad significance for medical and agricultural studies. Integrating an understanding of gene networks and gene expression into such studies represents a challenge, but also an area of significant opportunity. In addition, the proposed research will involve training young scientists in modern laboratory methods and analytical approaches. Training will continue to involve scholars at several levels of education, from high school students to post-doctoral researchers, as during prior funding.

海胆骨骼生成基因网络智能优点的进化遗传学。基因相互相互作用，并与环境相互作用，以产生自然选择运行的有机体表型。这些GXG和GXE相互作用可以在很大程度上影响对自然选择的反应。该提案概述了一个项目，旨在衡量遗传和环境影响对异常定义的相互作用基因网络内表型变异的影响。这些分析的主题是骨化基因网络和导致的海胆螺旋中心螺旋藻的幼虫骨骼。遗传和环境变异的影响将在不同水平的生物组织中进行测定：将测量分子表型，因为等位基因特异性转录和有机表型将通过解剖学的形态计量分析来测量。具体目的如下：1。测量网络表型的遗传基础。 8 x 8的交叉将用于估计对表型变异的遗传贡献，以鉴定其表达对表型变异最大的基因，并测量解剖学变异从基因表达的变异中缓冲的程度。 2。测量基因网络与环境相互作用。食物水平的操纵将用于表征基因网络对关键环境变量变化的响应，以衡量遗传变异对这种反应的影响，并确定介导表型可塑性的特定基因。总之，这些分析的结果将提供有关在野生人群中定义明确的基因网络及其解剖产品中复杂性状变化的起源的详细信息，并提供有关发育过程中的变化如何影响生态相关的有机体表型的见解。遗传和环境因素对表型变异的影响具有相当大的重要性。该主题是理解进化过程的关键部分，但对于医学和农业研究也具有广泛的意义。将对基因网络和基因表达的理解整合到此类研究中是一个挑战，也是一个重要机会的领域。此外，拟议的研究将涉及对年轻科学家进行现代实验室方法和分析方法的培训。培训将继续涉及多个教育的学者，从高中生到博士后研究人员，就像先前的资助一样。