NSF NPGI Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2014

该行动资助了2014财年NSF国家植物基因组计划生物学博士后研究奖学金。该研究金支持研究员在东道实验室的研究和培训计划，研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。纳塔莉·J·纳纳斯（Natalie J. Nannas）的研究和培训计划的标题是“玉米人工染色体分离的合成着丝粒工程”。该奖学金的主办机构是格鲁吉亚大学，赞助科学家是R·R博士。世界人口的增长需要新的作物改良和生产技术。将一些转基因引入农业植物有助于对抗害虫和提高产量，但满足未来需求所需的性状可能需要大量基因，而目前的方法不容易引入。人工合成的着丝粒使人工染色体成为一种可行的策略，用于引入整个遗传途径，而不破坏天然植物基因组，并有效地将所有性状分离在一起。培训目标包括植物遗传学和基因组学以及植物分子和细胞生物学。更广泛的影响包括通过与Peach State Louis Stokes少数民族参与联盟（LSAMP）合作，增加本科少数民族对科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的参与。将创建一个研讨会系列，以寻找夏季研究和资助机会，申请和面试研究生院和医学院，并探索STEM职业选择。将为格鲁吉亚大学的新生入学指导和秋季活动博览会制定招聘方案，包括关于所提供的科学专业和推荐的入门课程的咨询研讨会。一个辅导，指导和学习小组网络将通过LSAMP建立，并将可用于支持学生在STEM课程。将鼓励对研究感兴趣的本科生直接参与这项工作;学生将在进行与合成着丝粒相关的独立项目时接受培训和指导。人工染色体是一种新兴的堆叠转基因的策略，但由于表观遗传学的复杂性，这些构建体缺乏可靠的着丝粒，着丝粒在其上装配并通过细胞分裂指导染色体精确分离的DNA元件。该项目旨在设计一种“合成着丝粒”，能够在农业上重要的植物玉米中自主分离人工染色体。通过人工将动粒蛋白定位到特定的遗传位置来创建合成的着丝粒;动粒蛋白将与各种DNA结合蛋白融合，并在携带一系列结合位点的细胞系中表达。为了评估合成着丝粒的功能，将开发一种实时成像系统来测量有丝分裂和减数分裂中染色体分离的目前未知的动态。将合成的着丝粒与天然的着丝粒在其组装动粒、附着微管、纠正不适当的附着和分离染色体的能力方面进行比较。 还将评估合成着丝粒通过多代遗传标记动粒组装位点的能力。

This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2014. 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 Natalie J. Nannas is "Engineering a Synthetic Centromere for Artificial Chromosome Segregation in Maize" The host institution for the fellowship is the University of Georgia and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. R. Kelly Dawe.Increasing world population demands new technologies for crop improvement and production. Introducing a few transgenes into agricultural plants have helped combat pests and increase yields, but traits necessary to meet future demands will likely require large sets of genes not easily introduced by current methods. Synthetic centromeres make artificial chromosomes a viable strategy for introducing whole genetic pathways without disrupting the native plant genome and efficiently segregating all traits together. Training objectives include plant genetics and genomics, and plant molecular and cellular biology. Broader impacts include increasing undergraduate minority participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through collaboration with the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). A workshop series will be created on finding summer research and funding opportunities, applying and interviewing for graduate school and medical school, and exploring STEM career options. Recruitment programming will be developed for the University of Georgia's Freshmen Orientation and Fall Activities Fair, including an advising seminar on offered science majors and recommended introductory courses. A tutoring, mentoring, and study group network will be established through LSAMP and will be available to support students in STEM courses. Undergraduate students interested in research will be encouraged to participate directly in this work; students will be trained and mentored while conducting their own independent projects related to the synthetic centromere.Artificial chromosomes are an emerging strategy to stack transgenes, but due to epigenetic complications, these constructs lack reliable centromeres, DNA elements on which kinetochores assemble and direct accurate segregation of chromosomes through cell division. This project aims to engineer a "synthetic centromere" capable of autonomously segregating an artificial chromosome in the agriculturally important plant, maize. A synthetic centromere will be created by artificially localizing kinetochore proteins to a specific genetic location; kinetochore proteins will be fused with various DNA-binding proteins and expressed in lines that carry an array of binding sites. To assess the functionality of the synthetic centromere, a live imaging system will be developed to measure the currently unknown dynamics of chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis. The synthetic centromere will be compared to natural centromeres in its ability to assemble a kinetochore, attach microtubules, correct improper attachments and segregate a chromosome. The synthetic centromere will also be assessed for its ability to heritably mark the site of kinetochore assembly through multiple generations.