DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Polyandry and Meiotic Drive in Drosophila neotestacea

论文研究：新果蝇的一妻多夫制和减数分裂驱动

• 批准号: 1311472
• 负责人: Kelly Dyer
• 金额: $ 1.93万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1311472&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Polyandry; Meiotic; Drive

Selfish genetic elements can promote their own transmission into the next generation, even if there is a cost to the inclusive fitness of the host. They are found in all eukaryotes, including, for example, mammals, plants, insects, birds, and fish. A classic example of a selfish genetic element is X-chromosome meiotic drive. 'X-drive' causes males to pass on the driving X chromosome to all of their offspring, which are all daughters. As a result of this biased transmission, theory predicts that X-drive could spread rapidly in a population and potentially drive it to extinction, due to a lack of males. Contrary to this prediction, X-drive is often observed at low to moderate frequencies in nature. The goal of this research is to understand how variation in female mating behavior may counteract the spread of X-drive. The investigators will perform experimental evolution with the fruit fly Drosophila neotestacea to provide new insights into how host behaviors can affect whether X-drive invades into a population, and the frequency at which it is maintained in a population. The results of this study will deepen our understanding of how X-drive is maintained as a polymorphism in nature, and may be broadly applied to other species. Selfish genetic elements have been proposed for use in pest control regimes for insects that are vectors for devastating diseases. Thus, understanding the dynamics of driving chromosomes in nature may inform pest management practices. Additionally, this project will provide ample opportunities for undergraduate research training.

自私的遗传因素可以促进自己向下一代的传播，即使宿主的包容性适应性成本也是如此。它们在所有真核生物中都发现，包括例如哺乳动物，植物，昆虫，鸟类和鱼类。自私遗传元素的一个经典例子是X染色体减数分裂驱动。 “ X-Drive”使男性将驾驶X染色体传递给所有的后代，这都是女儿。由于这种有偏见的传播，理论预测X驱动可以在人群中迅速扩散，并可能由于缺乏男性而将其灭绝。与此预测相反，在自然界中通常在低至中等频率下观察到X驱动器。这项研究的目的是了解女性交配行为的变化如何抵消X驱动器的传播。研究人员将使用果蝇果蝇Neotestacea进行实验进化，以提供新的见解，以了解宿主行为如何影响X驱动器是否入侵人群以及其在人群中维持的频率。这项研究的结果将加深我们对自然界中X驱动的多态性如何维持的理解，并且可以广泛应用于其他物种。已经提出了自私的遗传因素，用于用于灾性昆虫的虫害控制状态，这些昆虫是破坏性疾病的媒介。因此，了解自然界驱动染色体的动态可能会为害虫管理实践提供依据。此外，该项目将为本科研究培训提供足够的机会。