Tracing the origin and diversification of a morphological trait through transcriptional regulators and their target genes

通过转录调节因子及其靶基因追踪形态性状的起源和多样化

• 批准号: 2211833
• 负责人: Thomas Williams
• 金额: $ 103.65万
• 依托单位: University of Dayton
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2211833&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Tracing; origin; diversification; morphological; trait

Two goals of scientific inquiry are to understand how traits develop and evolve. These goals have proven difficult to reach for animal species with vast genomes and ones that undergo complex developmental processes. This project will use the pattern of male melanic abdomen pigmentation that develops for the fruit fly species D. melanogaster as a model for a trait’s development, and related species with differing pigmentation as models to understand how male pigmentation originated and diversified. In order to determine which gene’s use or genes’ uses have changed in route to this pigmentation diversity, the network of genes responsible for melanogaster pigmentation will be studied in species with the ancestral (D. willistoni) and modified (D. auraria) pattern of male pigmentation. For genes with differing uses, approaches will be utilized to find and characterize the parts of genes responsible for their variation. The importance of these modified gene parts will be tested by engineering melanogaster sequences into the genomes of these two less well-studied species. Collectively, this project will push the limits of genetic investigation in model and emerging-model species, resulting in one of the most insightful genetic characterizations of an evolving animal trait. This project will result in numerous broader impacts, such as the refinement of bioinformatic and online resources for genetics research, training of diverse personnel in genetics and related disciplines, and hastening scientific progress by the creation, organization, and hosting of a virtual meeting for scientists with a shared interest on the genetics of development and evolution. Animal morphology develops through the operation of Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) that involve a plethora of trans-regulators, transcription factors and signaling pathways, which control the spatial, temporal, and even sex-specific patterns of trait-building realizator gene expression. These patterns of gene expression emerge from GRN transcription factors interacting with binding sites in the cis-regulatory elements (CREs) of their direct target genes. Since many trans-regulators and realizator genes are older than the traits they regulate, trait evolution occurs through changes in the uses of these ancestral genes. This project’s overarching goal is to understand how a trait emerged and was modified by changes to a GRN’s trans-regulators and realizator genes. The evolution of a GRN for a rapidly evolving trait present in an experimentally tractable animal model species, and closely-related emerging model species will be examined. The proposed studies will focus on how the male-specific pattern of abdominal pigmentation emerged in the fruit fly lineage of D. melanogaster and how it was modified in the montium lineage. In the first Aim, the breadth of trans-regulators in the D. melanogaster GRN will be mapped, and determine which of these genes have conserved or evolved expressions in species with the ancestral and modified trait phenotypes. The second aim will determine how trans-regulator and realizator gene expressions evolved through CRE evolution. The third aim will directly test the phenotypic consequences of GRN modifications through genetic engineering performed in emerging model species.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

科学探究的两个目标是了解性状如何发展和进化，事实证明，对于具有庞大基因组的动物物种和经历复杂发育过程的动物物种来说，这些目标很难实现。该项目将利用雄性黑色素腹部色素沉着的模式。果蝇物种 D. melanogaster 作为性状发育的模型，以及具有不同色素沉着的相关物种作为模型，以了解雄性色素沉着如何起源和多样化，以确定哪个基因的用途或基因的用途在这种色素沉着的过程中发生了变化。为了实现多样性，将在具有雄性色素沉着祖先（D. willistoni）和改良（D. auraria）模式的物种中研究负责黑腹果蝇色素沉着的基因网络。这些修饰基因部分的重要性将通过将黑腹果蝇序列工程化到这两个研究较少的物种的基因组中来测试。总的来说，该项目将突破模型和遗传研究的极限。该项目将产生许多更广泛的影响，例如完善遗传学研究的生物信息学和在线资源，培训遗传学和相关领域的各种人员。通过为对发育和进化遗传学有共同兴趣的科学家创建、组织和举办虚拟会议，动物形态通过涉及基因调控网络（GRN）的运作而发展。大量的反式调节因子、转录因子和信号通路，它们控制性状构建实现基因表达的空间、时间甚至性别特异性模式，这些基因表达模式来自与顺式结合位点相互作用的GRN转录因子。 -其直接目标基因的调节元件（CRE） 由于许多反式调节子和实现子基因比它们调节的性状更古老，因此性状进化是通过这些祖先基因的使用的变化而发生的。了解一种性状是如何出现的，以及如何通过 GRN 的反式调节基因和实现基因的改变来改变性状。将检查实验中易处理的动物模型物种和密切相关的新兴模型物种中存在的快速进化性状的 GRN 进化。拟议的研究将重点关注黑腹果蝇谱系中雄性特有的腹部色素沉着模式是如何出现的，以及它是如何在 montium 谱系中发生改变的。黑腹果蝇 GRN 中的反式调节因子将被绘制，并确定这些基因中哪些基因在具有祖先和修饰性状表型的物种中保留或进化表达。第二个目标将确定反式调节因子和实现因子基因表达如何通过 CRE 进化。第三个目标是通过在新兴模式物种中进行基因工程来直接测试 GRN 修饰的表型后果。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的评估被认为值得支持。智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

项目成果

JEZB special issue on animal gene regulatory network evolution

JEZB动物基因调控网络进化特刊

• DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23186
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
• 作者: Williams, Thomas M.;Rebeiz, Mark
• 通讯作者: Rebeiz, Mark