Evolution of Gene Regulatory Networks for Development of Novel Structures in Echinoderm Embryos

棘皮动物胚胎新结构发育的基因调控网络的进化

• 批准号: 0844948
• 负责人: Veronica Hinman
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: Carnegie-Mellon University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-02-01 至 2014-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0844948&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolution; Gene; Regulatory; Networks; Development

The great diversity of animal morphology is due to genomic changes that alter the programming of development; however, the exact nature of such changes is poorly understood. For many technical reasons the genetic basis of development is extraordinarily well understood in sea urchin embryos, especially that of a cell lineage that will form the skeleton of the larva. This cell lineage is an evolutionary novelty as it is not found in the embryos of the other groups of animals related to the sea urchin (e.g. sea stars and sea cucumbers). This provides the exceptional opportunity to understand how regulatory changes have occurred during evolution to allow the development of an entirely novel morphology. All of the same (orthologous) genes, with the exception of just one, that are needed to make the sea urchin skeleton lineage are also expressed in the sea star embryo. This preliminary data demonstrates that this developmental novelty, therefore, is not due to the acquisition of new genes, but rather a change in the way in which these same genes function. This project will determine the regulatory interactions between these orthologous genes in sea star embryos in order to understand how their function has evolved in the sea urchin. Gene products will be perturbed using various molecular approaches and the effect on development and expression of other genes will be determined. A series of cross-species experiments will also be undertaken, where gene products from sea stars will be injected into the embryo of the sea urchin and vice versa. These experiments will directly determine whether there has been an evolutionary change in gene function and how any such changes alter development. This project will provide a highly mechanistic understanding of how evolutionary changes in gene function can lead to the development of novel structures and will provide intensive research experiences for several undergraduates and a woman graduate student.

动物形态的多样性是由于基因组变化改变了发展的编程。但是，这种变化的确切性质知之甚少。 出于许多技术原因，发育的遗传基础在海胆胚胎中是广泛理解的，尤其是将形成幼虫骨骼的细胞谱系的遗传基础。 这种细胞谱系是一种进化的新颖性，因为它在与海胆有关的其他动物的胚胎中找不到（例如，海星和海参）。 这为了解在进化过程中如何发生监管变化以允许发展完全新颖的形态。 除了仅一个（直系同源的）基因，使海胆骨架谱系所需的所有基因也在海星胚胎中表达。 该初步数据表明，这种发育新颖性并不是由于获得了新基因的获取，而是这些相同基因发挥作用的方式的变化。 该项目将确定这些直系同源基因在海星胚胎中的调节相互作用，以了解其功能在海胆中的发展。 基因产物将使用各种分子方法扰动，并确定对其他基因发育和表达的影响。 还将进行一系列跨物种实验，其中将来自海星的基因产物注射到海胆的胚胎中，反之亦然。 这些实验将直接确定基因功能的进化变化以及任何此类变化如何改变了发展。 该项目将对基因功能的进化变化如何导致新结构的发展提供高度机械的理解，并为几个本科生和一名女研究生提供深入的研究经验。