乙酰肉碱参与飞蝗两型转变调控的表观遗传机制研究

项目名称： 乙酰肉碱参与飞蝗两型转变调控的表观遗传机制研究

项目编号： No.31472047

项目类型： 面上项目

立项/批准年度： 2015

项目学科： 动物学

项目作者： 王宪辉

作者单位： 中国科学院动物研究所

项目金额： 88万元

中文摘要： 飞蝗两型转变是蝗灾暴发的生物学基础，也是表型可塑性研究的重要模式。我们前期研究通过代谢组学分析已经证明乙酰肉碱能够参与飞蝗型变过程中行为可塑性的调控。但其具体机制还需进一步明确。我们提出乙酰肉碱可能通过影响组蛋白乙酰化表观遗传修饰来发挥作用的假设。本项目中，我们拟结合基因组学、行为学、神经生物学和基因操作技术，来验证这一假设。通过回答乙酰肉碱是否能够影响飞蝗组蛋白乙酰化状态、神经组织中由乙酰肉碱引起的组蛋白乙酰化程度改变的分子靶标是什么、哪些乙酰肉碱调控的下游分子途径引起神经和行为的效应等问题来阐释乙酰肉碱调控行为可塑性的具体机制。

中文关键词： 蝗灾；集群行为；行为可塑性；组蛋白修饰；基因操作

英文摘要： Phase change in the migratory locust is a key step for outbreaks of locust plagues and a ideal study model for phenotypic plasticity. We have demonstrated that acetyl-carnitine can have important roles in behavioral plasticity during phase change through metabolomic analysis. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the regulation of acetyl-carnitine on locust phase change have been unknown now. According to the results from other animals, we suppose here that behavioral function of acetyl-carnitine on phase change may be through influencing the state of histone acetylation in central nervous system. In this project, we will conduct the integrative studies including genomics, ethology, neuronscience and gene interference to verify this hypothesis. We will investigate the effects of acetyl-carnitine on histone acetylation in central nervous system of locusts, define the molecular targets of histone acetylation by acetylcarnitine and investigate whether acetylcarnitine regulates genes and pathways which are influenced by histone acetylation. We will identify which genes and pathways can have roles in behavoiral change during phase change.

英文关键词： locust plague;aggregation behavior;behavioral plasticity;histone modification;gene minapulation