Maintenance of genetic diversity after bottleneck and understanding low temperature adaptation mechanism in invasive alien species

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H03728
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Makino Takashi 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (20443442)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 適応進化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to understand the genetic basis of the high environmental adaptability of Procambarus clarkii, which has been invaded to cold regions in a short period of time. Genome resequencing was conducted using genomic DNA of P. clarkii collected from Sapporo, Aomori, and Kamakura to estimate the loci involved in low temperature adaptation of the crayfish. As a result, we found several genes that respond to low temperature neighboring alleles that are highly frequent in a genome of the Sapporo population. Among these genes, the gene encoding Rho GTPase regulating protein showed a rapid increase in expression in the Sapporo population under low temperature conditions. These results suggest that a molecular pathway involving this gene may contribute to the adaptation of the Sapporo population to low temperatures.

Free Research Field

進化ゲノミクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究ではアメリカザリガニの低温適応に関わる複数の遺伝子候補を見出した。温度への適応は他の外来種の侵入・分布拡大メカニズムと共通する可能性が高く、外来種全体の侵入メカニズムの理解に繋がると期待できる。注目度の高い外来種の侵略性に関わるメカニズムの解明に取り組んだ本研究の社会的な意義は大きい。