Descripción del proyecto
Desvelar el origen evolutivo de las alas de los insectos y de un nuevo par de ojos
La capacidad de algunos insectos para emprender el vuelo y encontrar pareja en el aire se debe a dos nuevos órganos: las alas y un par de ojos adicionales para los apasionados machos. Se desconocen los genes o las regiones reguladoras de genes (redes de regulación génica) que interactuaron para producir este importante desarrollo evolutivo en los insectos. El equipo del proyecto mayFLYeye, financiado con fondos europeos, estudiará las bases genéticas y los factores clave que subyacen al origen de estos dos nuevos órganos en un novedoso sistema modelo de efemerópteros a fin de revelar los acontecimientos específicos de la evolución de las redes de regulación génica responsables de su aparición.
Objetivo
The history of life on Earth has been defined by key game-changing events. In animals, this has often been driven by the appearance of novel organs, conferring new capabilities to explore new niches and adaptive landscapes, completely changing the subsequent evolution of certain lineages.
This proposal will focus on one of the most fascinating and revolutionary events in animal history: insect’s conquest of the skies. First, by addressing the origin of the morphological change responsible for this revolution: the origin of wings. Second, by studying one of the multiple cascading effects set off by this initial event that continued shaping flying insects’ anatomy and boosted their diversification: the turbanate eyes of mayflies, a sex-specific extra set of eyes that males use to find mates during flight. We still know very little about these two events, due to the lack of data from key species and the need for multilevel and quantitative approaches. My lab will overcome these difficulties by using a unique experimental platform that I have built over the last five years: the setup of mayflies, a key group to study insect evolution, as a new experimentally tractable model.
We will study the genetic basis and key factors underlying the origin of these two organs, with a multidisciplinary view combining single cell -omics, developmental and functional approaches and, in the case of new eyes, their impact in physiology and diversification. By comparing these two evolutionary processes, we will unveil key common and specific events in the evolution of the gene regulatory networks behind the origin of these two new organs.
This project will generate the most comprehensive picture of two novel organs with huge impact in the evolution and ecology of winged insects and mayflies, answering long-standing evolutionary questions on morphological novelties. This will have a major impact in the way we study and understand the origin of new forms and their transformative nature.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsInstitución de acogida
08007 Barcelona
España