A pathway analysis candidate gene approach to seasonal reproductive timing in mammals with a focus on Period and casein kinase 1 in Peromyscus.

摘要

This thesis chronicles three methods to apply molecular and gene function knowledge derived from model species to non-model species of ecological interest for the complex trait of seasonal reproductive timing. 1) Selective amplification of specific gene regions with reported polymorphisms and/or genotype-phenotype relationships from model organisms in polar bear (Ursus maritimus ), flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus and volans) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) yielded 1 synonymous polymorphism in 40 fragments. 2) Amplification of Per1 Ex2 in various species was performed to compare distance estimates between seasonally constrained and unconstrained breeding mammals with the result supporting no significant difference between the groups. 3) mRNA sequencing of Peromyscus leucopus and maniculatus from varying latitudes at Per1, Per2, CK1epsilon and CK1delta was performed with regions of interest being analyzed at a larger scale. 112 polymorphic sites were found with three sites suggesting a latitudinal cline in both species. Additionally, a polymorphic polyglyciene repeat motif was discovered near the C-terminal end of Per1.;Keywords: Candidate genes, seasonal reproductive timing, photoperiod, clock genes, Period, casein kinase 1