Wnt家族基因的Cis调节进化有助于丝虫物种之间的形态差异
Kenta Tomihara1, Ana Pinharanda2,3, Young Mi Kwon2
1Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS biology
|March 10, 2026
概括
在密切相关的物种之间发现了毛虫角大小差异的遗传基础. 在Wnt基因中的Cis调节性变化驱动了这一关键的进化特征多样化.
科学领域:
- 进化生物学是进化的生物学.
- 发育遗传学的发展遗传学.
- 软体动物形态学 软体动物形态学
背景情况:
- 密切相关的物种表现出不同的形态,这对于适应和繁殖隔离至关重要.
- 虫虫的附属物,就像Bombycoidea的尾角一样,显示出显著的物种间形态多样性.
- 了解这些差异的遗传基础是进化发育生物学的关键.
研究的目的:
- 为了确定Bombyx mori和Bombyx mandarina之间的尾部角大小变化的遗传基础.
- 研究Wnt信号通路基因在形态多样化中的作用.
- 探索如何 cis 调控变化有助于进化新.
主要方法:
- 进行了跨物种交叉,以绘制定量特征位置 (QTL).
- 用对单个等位基因的表达分析来评估基因调节.
- 使用CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑创建淘汰并验证基因功能.
主要成果:
- 确定了8个QTL,其中最大的3个解释了三分之一的角长差异.
- 染色体4上的主要QTL包含Wnt基因,包括Wnt1和Wnt6.
- 发现Wnt1和Wnt6的组织特异性cis-regulatory变化是种类特异性角大小差异的基础.
结论:
- 像Wnt1和Wnt6这样的关键发育基因的 cis-regulatory 进化是形态多样化的重要驱动力.
- 基因调节中的模块性使得高度类基因能够在没有重大有害影响的情况下为特征进化做出贡献.
- 这项研究为了解昆虫和潜在的其他动物形态多样性的演变提供了一个模型.
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