NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2010

本行动资助美国国家科学基金会2010年度少数民族博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持奖学金获得者在主办实验室的研究和培训计划，该奖学金获得者还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。塞缪尔·迪亚兹奖学金的研究和培训计划的题目是“基因交换期间病毒的合作与冲突”。这项研究的主办机构是加州大学圣地亚哥分校和耶鲁大学，赞助科学家分别是林超博士和保罗·特纳博士。基因交换在某些病毒中发生，并影响诸如毒力和宿主特异性等特性。这个项目使用社会进化理论来研究在基因交换中合作和冲突的角色，其中被称为“性”。在一个与有性繁殖大致相似的过程中，某些病毒在感染细胞时，当基因组片段混合在一起，产生带有不同亲本病毒片段的后代时，就会发生“性”。实验室研究表明，根据感染病毒的密度，病毒可以进化出均衡交换遗传物质的策略（如有性生殖中称为合作）或偏向于对自己有利的遗传交换（如减数分裂驱动中称为冲突）。该项目使用天然分离的囊病毒科作为模型系统，以了解病毒繁殖策略如何在自然界中进化。这些策略在各种病毒的出现中发挥作用，本研究增强了对病毒遗传交换的理解。培训目标包括标准的微生物分离、电镀、病毒适应度测定、开发新的遗传技术以及理论和建模技能。更广泛的影响包括指导麦克奈尔学者（McNair Scholars），这是一个被证明可以促进本科生进步的项目。校园外的推广工作包括参加加州大学圣地亚哥分校早期学术推广计划的高中生和教师，以及参加在校外博物馆举办的科学问题公共讲座系列。

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2010. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Samuel Diaz is "Cooperation and conflict in viruses during genetic exchange." The host institutions for this research are the University of California-San Diego and Yale University and the sponsoring scientists are Dr. Lin Chao and Dr. Paul Turner, respectively.Genetic exchange occurs in some viruses and affects properties such as virulence and host specificity. This project uses social evolution theory to examine the roles of cooperation and conflict during genetic exchange, wherein referred to as "sex." In a process roughly similar to sexual reproduction, "sex" occurs in some viruses when genomic fragments mix during infection of a cell, creating progeny with fragments from different parental viruses. Laboratory studies have shown that depending on the density of infecting viruses, viruses can evolve strategies to exchange genetic material evenly (termed cooperation, as in sexual reproduction) or to bias genetic exchange in their favor (termed conflict, as in meiotic drive). This project uses natural isolates of the Cystoviridae as a model system to understand how viral reproductive strategies evolve in nature. These strategies play a role in the emergence of a variety of viruses and this study enhances understanding of genetic exchange in viruses.The training goals include standard microbial isolation, plating, viral fitness assays, development of new genetic techniques, and theoretical and modeling skills. Broader impacts include mentoring McNair Scholars, a program proven to enhance undergraduate advancement. Outreach efforts beyond the campus walls involve high school students and teachers in the UCSD Early Academic Outreach Program and participation in the Science Matters public lecture series held at off-campus museums.