| 项目编号: | 1407158
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| 项目名称: | DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the Evolutionary Significance of Recurrent Horizontal Gene Transfer of a Chimeric Photoreceptor in Ferns |
| 作者: | Kathleen Pryer
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| 承担单位: | Duke University
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| 批准年: | 2013
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| 开始日期: | 2014-07-01
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| 结束日期: | 2016-06-30
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| 资助金额: | USD20410
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| 资助来源: | US-NSF
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| 项目类别: | Standard Grant
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| 国家: | US
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| 语种: | 英语
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| 特色学科分类: | Biological Sciences - Environmental Biology
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| 英文关键词: | fern
; neochrome
; gene
; research
; parasite-host transfer
; evolutionary significance
; next-generation sequencing
; neochrome horizontal gene transfer event
; single gene
; blue-sensing photoreceptor
; horizontal gene transfer
; undergraduate researcher
; diverse fern species
; recurrent horizontal gene transfer
; novel chimeric photoreceptor
; functional nuclear gene
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| 英文摘要: | This study will provide a deeper understanding of the systematics of ferns and the genes that allow them to grow in shady habitats. The presence of neochrome -- a novel chimeric photoreceptor that fuses red-sensing and blue-sensing photoreceptors into a single gene -- is linked to the ability of ferns to thrive in low-light conditions. Despite its potential importance in adaptation, the evolution of neochrome has remained unexplored. This study will investigate the evolution of neochrome and test the hypothesis that the distribution of the gene is the result of recurrent horizontal gene transfer among ferns. This award will support the research and training of a female doctoral student and undergraduate researchers in diverse molecular and systematic methods.
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common in prokaryotes and is often a key driver of adaptation and evolution. However, most documented examples of plant-to-plant HGT involve mitochondrial DNA and/or parasite-host transfers; only a handful of cases include functional nuclear genes, and even fewer have possible adaptive implications. Consequently, plant-to-plant HGT generally has been overlooked as a noteworthy factor in plant evolution. The aim of this research is to use targeted next-generation sequencing of neochrome from diverse fern species to further elucidate the frequency and timing of the seemingly large number of neochrome horizontal gene transfer events in ferns. Because neochrome may have played a major role in promoting the radiation of ferns under low-light environments, this study has important implications for better understanding the evolutionary significance of plant-to-plant HGT. |
| 资源类型: | 项目
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| 标识符: | http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/96485
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| Appears in Collections: | 影响、适应和脆弱性
气候减缓与适应
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| Recommended Citation: | |
Kathleen Pryer. DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the Evolutionary Significance of Recurrent Horizontal Gene Transfer of a Chimeric Photoreceptor in Ferns. 2013-01-01.
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