Research Project:
The developmental genetics of obligate endosymbiosis and its effect on the evolution of insects

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dc.contributorRafiqi, Abdul Matteen
dc.date.accessioned2023-02-17T09:57:13Z
dc.date.available2023-02-17T09:57:13Z
dc.date.issued2021-03-01
dc.descriptionIntegrative Biology is a multidisciplinary field that includes genetics, systems biology, bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, transcriptomics, developmental, ecology, biophysics, mathematical modelling and comparative biology. We propose to use a recently developed integrative biology approach called Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Eco-Evo-Devo) to study the bacterial endosymbiotic associations in ants and true bugs (Hymenoptera and Hemiptera). Endosymbiosis is a rule rather than exception among multicellular organisms. Endosymbionts affect normal functioning of the organisms through interactions with the metabolic, nutritional, immune, and genetic pathways of the host organism. In addition, both micro- and macro-evolutionary events have been shaped by endosymbiotic associations, such as hybrid incompatibility and speciation in flies and evolution of eukaryotic cell by symbiogenesis of mitochondria and other organelles. In spite of its importance in biology, the mechanisms of the origin and integration of endosymbionts remain poorly understood at the developmental genetic level. The research planned here addresses this fundamental gap by studying bacterial endosymbiosis during early development in insects. We propose to accomplish this research under six objectives. The first three objectives seek an in depth understanding of pattern formation in insects that contain endosymbionts. The fourth and fifth objectives address specific interactions between the endosymbiont genes and host genes. The final objective uses the data obtained from first five for comparative analysis of patterning in presence and absence of endosymbionts and after experimental transplants of the endosymbionts between species. The work consists of seventeen work packages, each one of which covers one or more objectives and involves gene expression and gene function studies using molecular biology, embryology, developmental biology, genetic manipulation and transcriptomics techniques to understand the interactions between gene networks of the endosymbionts and the gene networks of the host organisms. The results of this research help us address basic questions in endosymbiotic associations and biology of animals in general, which have direct and indirect implications on human health, ecology, environmental sustainability, and agriculture.
dc.identifier2247A-120C157
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12645/37043
dc.subjectYaşam Bilimleri
dc.subjectTemel Bilimler
dc.subjectLife Sciences
dc.subjectNatural Sciences
dc.subjectTemel Bilimler (SCI)
dc.subjectYaşam Bilimleri (LIFE)
dc.subjectDoğa Bilimleri Genel
dc.subjectÇOK DİSİPLİNLİ BİLİMLER
dc.subjectNatural Sciences (SCI)
dc.subjectLife Sciences (LIFE)
dc.subjectNATURAL SCIENCES, GENERAL
dc.subjectMULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES
dc.subjectMultidisciplinary
dc.titleThe developmental genetics of obligate endosymbiosis and its effect on the evolution of insects
dspace.entity.typeProject
local.avesis.idf4599157-ffba-44e9-a278-71653787f008
local.project.countryTürkiye
local.project.statusDevam Ediyor
local.project.typeTÜBİTAK Projesi
project.endDate2024-03-01
project.startDate2021-03-01

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