Functional Genomics of a Dietary Shift in a Mammalian Herbivore: Creosote Feeding in Neotoma Lepida

首席研究人员：M.Denise Dering博士，Kirk Thomas博士项目编号：IOS-0817527TITLE：哺乳动物食草动物饮食转变的功能基因组学：食草动物杂酚油摄食对于以植物为食的哺乳动物，从一种饮食转变到另一种饮食的最大挑战之一是对新型植物毒素的解毒。我们建议通过利用荒漠林木取食行为的种群差异来推进我们对哺乳动物草食动物所使用的机制的了解。在此之前，大约有11,000只荒漠树木种群占据着现在的莫哈韦沙漠，经历了从以刺柏为食向以天然入侵者杂物油为食的重大转变。目前生活在莫哈韦的森林蝙蝠种群已经适应了剧毒杂酚油，与以前没有经验的种群相比，它们摄取更多杂酚油的能力就是明证。在这个项目中，研究人员将确定这种加工杂酚油能力差异的潜在机制。研究人员将结合使用药理学和分子生态学的方法以及尖端基因组学技术。研究人员希望找到特定的肝酶来传递消耗杂酚油毒素的能力。不同种群之间肝酶的差异可能有助于解释人类种群在药物和营养物质代谢方面的差异。这项工作将促进对哺乳动物如何适应自然气候变化后饮食的剧烈变化的理解。这些数据可以外推到预测树木将如何应对当前和未来的气候变化。更广泛的影响之一是对科学基础设施的贡献，以非模式生物的转录组的形式提供给其他科学家。调查人员致力于科学宣传，并每年参加社区的一项或多项宣传活动(例如，科学博览会、公开讲座)。该项目将为博士后、研究生、本科生、暑期高中生和本科院校的助理教授提供尖端的跨学科培训。该项目的受训人员将来自科学界代表性不足的群体，例如妇女和少数民族。

Principal Investigators: Dr. M. Denise Dearing, Dr. Kirk ThomasProject Number: IOS-0817527TITLE: Functional Genomics of a Dietary Shift in a Mammalian Herbivore: Creosote Feeding in Neotoma lepidaFor mammals that consume plants, one of the greatest challenges in shifting from one diet to another is the detoxification of novel plant toxins. We propose to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms used by mammalian herbivores by capitalizing on population differences in the feeding behavior of the desert woodrat. Approximately 11,000 before present, populations of desert woodrats occupying what is now the Mojave desert, underwent a major shift from feeding on a diet of juniper to that of a natural invader, creosote. Populations of woodrats that currently live in the Mojave have adapted to highly toxic creosote as evidenced by their ability to ingest greater quantities of creosote compared to populations that have no prior experience. In this project, the investigators will determine the underlying mechanisms for this difference in ability to process creosote. The investigators will use a combination of approaches from pharmacology and molecular ecology as well as cutting edge genomics techniques. The investigators expect to find specific liver enzymes that convey the ability to consume creosote toxins. The differences in liver enzymes between woodrats may be valuable in explaining differences among human populations in the metabolism of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds. This work will promote the understanding of how mammals adapt to radical changes in diet after natural climate change. The data can be extrapolated to predicting how woodrats will respond to current and future climate change. One of the broader impacts is a contribution to scientific infrastructure in the form of a transcriptome of a non-model organism that will be available to other scientists. The investigators are committed to scientific outreach and participate in one or more outreach events annually in the community (e.g., science fairs, public lectures). The project will provide cutting edge, interdisciplinary training for a postdoctoral fellow, graduate students, undergraduates, summer high school students and for an assistant professor from an undergraduate institution. Trainees on this project will come from underrepresented groups in science, e.g., women and ethnic minorities.