Genetic basis for variation in the ability to colonize new niches

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H01003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 45:Biology at organismal to population levels and anthropology, and related fields
• Research Institution: National Institute of Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Kitano Jun 国立遺伝学研究所, ゲノム・進化研究系, 教授 (80346105)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 石川 麻乃 東京大学, 大学院新領域創成科学研究科, 准教授 (20722101)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 進化 / 適応進化 / クロマチン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Freshwater occurred as multiple waves in the Japanse threespine stickleback during glacial and interglacial cycles. We found that PSMB81, which is involved in immunity, and UGT2, which is involved in thyroid hormone signaling, are amplified not only in the stickleback but also in multiple freshwater fishes. We performed genome assembly on several stickleback populations and identified multiple chromosomal structural variations between species and populations. Some of these overlapped with genomic regions important for freshwater adaptation. We found multiple regions where chromatin states differ among species and populations, including the upstream of freshwater adaptation genes.

Free Research Field

進化生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

新規環境への適応がどのような遺伝的変異によって生じるのか、どのようなゲノム構造を持った生物がそのような適応能力が高いのかを知ることは、気候変動への生物の応答を予測したり、育種・養殖への応用技術を考える上で重要な情報である。本課題では、魚類、特にトゲウオに着目して、海から淡水への進出に重要な遺伝子を複数見出した。その一部は、複数の魚類種で共通性が見られた。そのような適応遺伝子の変異と染色体構造との関係性が示唆された。