An Analysis of Gene Regulatory Evolution Within the Centrarchids

Three different studies analyzed the divergence of developmental regulation among centrarchid fishes (Centrarchidae, Perciformes). The degree of divergence between the regulatory genes of different species was assessed investigating the extent to which morphological and molecular development is altered in hybrid embryos. The degree of gene regulatory divergence between species was compared to the amount of divergence in their structural genes. The first study focused on the degree of altered gene expression in hybrid embryos formed by crossing the males of 10 different species with the female Micropterus salmoides floridanus. A positive correlation was detected between increasing genetic distance, D (Nei, 1978), between parental species (ranging from D = 0.133-0.974) and the developmental success of the hybrids at several levels: (1) hatching percentages, (2) temporal regulation of enzyme activity (15 loci), and (3) the levels of enzyme specific activities (15 loci) throughout development. With one exception (Lepomis microlophus), the extent of gene regulatory divergence between species is strongly correlated with their divergence times.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Parker, Henry Randolph

• Biology, General

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8422793

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/77640