Kitano Group • Ecological Genetics Laboratory::National Institute of Genetics

Kitano Group • Ecological Genetics Laboratory

Genetics of adaptive radiation

Faculty

KITANO, Jun

Professor

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YAMASAKI, Yo

Assistant Professor

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Research Summary

Our research goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of biodiversity. Although many genes important for animal development and behavior have been identified in model organisms, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying naturally occurring phenotypic variation important for adaptation and speciation in wild populations. Furthermore, little is known about how newly evolved alleles important for adaptation and speciation spread within natural populations. To understand these ecological and genetic mechanisms, we mainly use stickleback fishes as a model. Our research takes an integrative approach across diverse disciplines.

Our research takes an integrative approach across diverse disciplines. The first step is to conduct a detailed ecological survey of natural variation among stickleback populations collected from diverse environments. Next, we use genetic and genomic tools to study the genetic architecture of ecologically important phenotypic traits and also identify candidate genes responsible for adaptation and speciation. Then, we use transgenic and knockout approaches to study the detailed molecular and physiological functions of these candidate genes *in vivo*. Furthermore, we plan to use semi-natural ponds to get insight into how different alleles behave within natural populations.

Selected Publications

Kitano J, Ansai S, Fujimoto S, Kakioka R, Sato M, Mandagi IF, Sumarto BKA, Yamahira K. A Cryptic Sex-Linked Locus Revealed by the Elimination of a Master Sex-Determining Locus in Medaka Fish. Am Nat. 2023 Aug;202(2):231-240.

Yoshida K, Kitano J. Tempo and mode in karyotype evolution revealed by a probabilistic model incorporating both chromosome number and morphology. PLoS Genet. 2021 Apr 16;17(4):e1009502.

Ansai S, Mochida K, Fujimoto S, Mokodongan DF, Sumarto BKA, Masengi KWA, Hadiaty RK, Nagano AJ, Toyoda A, Naruse K, Yamahira K, Kitano J. Genome editing reveals fitness effects of a gene for sexual dichromatism in Sulawesian fishes. Nat Commun. 2021 Mar 1;12(1):1350.

Ravinet M, Kume M, Ishikawa A, Kitano J. Patterns of genomic divergence and introgression between Japanese stickleback species with overlapping breeding habitats. J Evol Biol. 2021 Jan;34(1):114-127.