Determinants of hot spot genes of convergent evolution in sticklebacks

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21H02542
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 45020:Evolutionary biology-related
• Research Institution: National Institute of Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Yamasaki Yo 国立遺伝学研究所, ゲノム・進化研究系, 助教 (40816021)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 北野 潤 国立遺伝学研究所, ゲノム・進化研究系, 教授 (80346105)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 収斂進化 / 集団構造 / 多面発現 / 鱗板 / トゲウオ科

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The evolution of similar traits in independent lineages is called convergent evolution. It is known that the same genes are often used for convergent evolution. However, the mechanism is unknown. In this study, we investigated what factors determine the genetic basis of convergent evolution using the repeated loss of lateral plates in threespine and ninespine stickleback fishes as a model system. Comparative analyses of European and Japanese threespine stickleback populations, and three Japanese ninespine stickleback species, we found that the degree of gene flow between populations, and the pleiotropic effects of genes and their avoidance, are probably important factors.

Free Research Field

生態遺伝学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

適応の遺伝的基盤の解明を目的とした研究は近年盛んに行われており，遺伝子が同定される例も増えている．とはいえ，原因遺伝子を同定することは未だ容易ではなく，同定できた場合でも遺伝子名を記載的に報告するに留まる場合が多い．本研究ではその先の課題である，なぜその遺伝子が適応に利用されたのか，という遺伝的基盤の決定機構を問い，その答えとして集団構造と多面発現が大きく影響した可能性を示すことが出来たと考えている．