Evolution of Anthocyanin Genes in Hawaiian Silverswords (pilot)

California State University Northridge, Northridge CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Evolutionary questions that address how organisms handle genetic redundancy (gene families), functionally[unreadable] linked genes (genes involved in a pathway) and how these genes contributed to the phenotypic diversity[unreadable] present in the vast array of organisms can begin to be addressed when an ideal model system is employed.[unreadable] The first specific aim of this proposal is to isolate and identify members of the metabolically-linked genes in[unreadable] the anthocyanin pathway that are involved in flower color production from members of the Hawaiian[unreadable] silversword alliance. The end product of the pathway is the compound anthocyanin visualized as the red,[unreadable] blue, and purple pigments seen in different plant tissues. The genes that will be focused on encode three[unreadable] enzymes in the pathway; chalcone synthase (CHS), dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR), and anthocyanin[unreadable] synthase (ANS). All of these genes except ANS are members of multi-gene families. The genes listed above[unreadable] will be cloned, sequenced, and analyzed from floral tissue in the Hawaiian silversword alliance (Asteraceae,[unreadable] Madiinae) a premier example of adaptative radiation, therefore it has a relatively recent evolutionary history.[unreadable] The second specific aim of this proposal is to isolate, identify and analyze other members of the CHS and[unreadable] DFR gene families from the genome of the Hawaiian silverswords and tarweeds. Examining the evolutionary[unreadable] history of these genes can provide insight into how metabolic pathways are built over time. Studying specific[unreadable] metabolic pathways in plants and how they are regulated can provide insight into other cellular pathways and[unreadable] this knowledge should apply across all eukaryotic taxa. Many genetic diseases that affect plants and[unreadable] animals are due to alterations in structural and/or regulatory genes involved in producing important end[unreadable] products of these pathway systems. The basic skills required for these studies are applicable to any field of[unreadable] molecular biology including studies of mammalian systems and human genetic disease. The knowledge[unreadable] gained from these types of studies are useful to researchers in the field of genomics and pharmaceutical[unreadable] drug design. The study proposed above is a pilot study to begin to look at the bigger picture of gene[unreadable] redundancy, key morphological loci, and evolutionary linkage between structural and regulatory genes.[unreadable] These results will provide insight into comparing the evolutionary history of functionally linked genes in an[unreadable] important pathway and provide more information for ongoing conservation efforts in Hawaiian Silversword.