Evolution and Development of Amphibian Limbs

One of the most significant structural and adaptive changes during vertebrate evolution was the transformation of obligatorily aquatic fish to terrestrial amphibians. But how could a swimming fin be translated into a walking leg and how could amphibians evolve such a broad range of ecological specializations? Three groups brought together in this proposal will combine expertise in the fields of developmental biology, evolutionary genetics and Computer/mathematical sciences to start up a new integrative research direction in the field of EVO-DEVO (for evolution and development). In this collaboration, they will try to tackle some interesting questions on the evolution of the amphibian body plan. The study of HOX genes provides the opportunity to understand the relationship between morphological transformations, molecular evolution, genome organization and gene expression. The aim of this collaboration is therefore based on achieving the following points:
1. Isolation and characterisation of the complete genomic sequence of the HoxA cluster in a species of each of the three amphibian orders.
2. Development of a relational database for Hox-data collection, in order to provide a useful and efficient access for an improved data-mining environment.
3. Characterization of the tempo and mode of evolution of phylogenetic footprints in Amphibia.
4. Determination of the expression pattern of various Hox genes during amphibian limb formation and functional testing of the regulatory elements identified by phylogenetic footprinting.
The proposed project is geared towards developing new synergies between existing research groups to open the new field Evo-Devo. As added value to VUB research, the creation of a specific Evo-Devo research group, integration inside the VUB of a biocomputing unit from BEN, and input of new equipment that is useful for several research units is envisaged. As added value to the VUB teaching, we foresee new possibilities for students and a benefit from existing and future courses. Finally, we hope to be able to create a new optional class on bio-informatics and databases for genomics studies for three of the largest groups of students at VUB, i.e., the biology, biotechnology and informatics students.