DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of the metabolome across the Drosophila phylogeny

论文研究：果蝇系统发育中代谢组的进化

• 批准号: 1402604
• 负责人: Daniel Promislow
• 金额: $ 1.58万
• 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: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-06-01 至 2015-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1402604&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Evolution; metabolome; across; DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Evolution; metabolome; across

Why do some species live longer than others? Scientists have identified molecular pathways that influence the lifespan of model organisms in the laboratory. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that account for the enormous variation that we see among species, from mayflies that live for a day, to clams that can live for centuries. This project will use metabolomics to investigate mechanisms that influence lifespan. Metabolomics involves measuring and analyzing the thousands of small molecules (metabolites) circulating within an organism. Enzymatic proteins help regulate metabolite levels, and although protein evolution is well studied, little is known about the evolution of metabolite levels. This project will measure metabolite levels at various ages during the lifespan in ten species of fruit flies (Drosophila spp.) to determine if selection affects the rate at which metabolomic profiles diverge over evolutionary time and if the evolution of fitness traits is tied to evolutionary change in specific biochemical pathways.This study will be one of the first to use metabolomics to answer evolutionary based scientific questions, and the presentation of the results will enable more scientists to understand the evolution of metabolomics. This project involves the combination of different scientific fields (evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and statistics). As such, undergraduate researchers involved in this project will have the opportunity to learn to combine multiple research approaches, including organismal, molecular, and quantitative, to carry out high-level scientific inquiry.

为什么某些物种的寿命比其他物种更长？科学家已经确定了影响实验室模型生物的寿命的分子途径。然而，对于说明我们在物种之间看到的巨大变化的基本机制，从生活一天的五月粉到可以活了几个世纪的蛤s的基本机制知之甚少。该项目将使用代谢组学来研究影响寿命的机制。代谢组学涉及测量和分析有机体中循环的数千个小分子（代谢产物）。酶促蛋白有助于调节代谢物水平，尽管对蛋白质的进化进行了充分的研究，但对代谢物水平的演变知之甚少。该项目将在十种水果果蝇（果蝇spp。）的寿命中测量各个年龄的代谢物水平，以确定选择是否会影响代谢性特征在进化时间内相差的速率，以及适应性特征的进化与特定的生物化学途径中的进化性变化相关。结果的介绍将使更多的科学家能够理解代谢组学的演变。该项目涉及不同科学领域（进化生物学，分子生物学和统计）的结合。因此，参与该项目的本科研究人员将有机会学习结合包括有机体，分子和定量的多种研究方法，以进行高级科学询问。