DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of floral symmetry in the petaloid monocot order Zingiberales

论文研究：花瓣状单子叶植物姜目花对称性的进化

• 批准号: 0808298
• 负责人: Chelsea Specht
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-07-15 至 2011-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0808298&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Evolution; floral; symmetry

An award has been made to the University of California at Berkeley under the direction of Dr. Chelsea D. Specht to study the role several genes affecting flowering and floral symmetry in a family of plants that includes gingers, bananas, and the bird of paradise plant. The grant will improve the doctoral dissertation research of Madelaine Bartlett. Flowering plants are astoundingly diverse, and changes in floral symmetry are thought to have been one driving force in the evolution of this diversity. The goal of the proposed research is to investigate the role of two candidate gene families, the CYC-like genes and the B and C class MADS box genes, in the initiation and elaboration of floral symmetry in the monocotyledonous order Zingiberales, which contains about 2,000 species. Multiple changes in floral symmetry have occurred in the Zingiberales, making it an ideal order in which to study the evolution of this important ecological trait. It is hypothesized that there will be shifts in gene sequence, number and expression accompanying shifts in symmetry across the order. Modern phylogenetic methods will be used to investigate the evolutionary history of these gene families. Their expression patterns in developing flowers with differing symmetries will be assessed using in situ hybridization and RT-PCR.Understanding the genetics of how flowering plant diversity evolved is critically important in deciding how to protect and maintain such diversity now and in the future. This study is one of the first to expand our knowledge of floral development to the petaloid monocots, and the first to expand this research to tropical monocots. Through the continuation of this research project, at least two additional undergraduate students will be trained in molecular lab work and the scientific process. This research will also result in the dissemination of knowledge through publications, presentations at scientific meetings, and a website with procedures and protocols for extending molecular genetic research to non-model systems.

在切尔西·D·Specht博士的指导下，加州大学伯克利分校颁发了一个奖项，以研究影响花朵和花卉对称性的几个基因，这些基因在包括姜，香蕉和天堂植物的植物家族中。 该赠款将改善Madelaine Bartlett的博士学位论文研究。 开花植物的多样性令人惊讶，花卉对称性的变化被认为是这种多样性进化的一种驱动力。拟议的研究的目的是研究两个候选基因家族，类似CYC的基因和B和C类Mads Box基因，在单核哪阶的Zingiberales中的花卉对称性的启动和阐述中，其中包含大约2,000物种。 花卉对称性的多种变化发生在Zingiberales中，使其成为研究这种重要生态特征的演变的理想顺序。假设基因序列，数量和表达伴随对称性跨顺序会发生变化。现代系统发育方法将用于研究这些基因家族的进化史。它们在开发具有不同对称性的花朵中的表达模式将使用原位杂交和RT-PCR进行评估。理解开花植物多样性如何发展的遗传学对于决定现在和将来如何保护和维持这种多样性至关重要。这项研究是最早将我们对花卉发育知识的知识扩展到花瓣单子叶植物的研究之一，也是第一个将这项研究扩展到热带单子叶植物的研究之一。通过该研究项目的延续，将至少另外两名本科生将接受分子实验室工作和科学过程的培训。这项研究还将通过出版物，科学会议上的演讲以及具有将分子遗传学研究扩展到非模型系统的程序和协议的网站来传播知识。