NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Conflict Resolution: How to Train your Inherited Bacteria

该行动资助了NSF 2020财年生物学博士后研究奖学金，研究基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该奖学金支持将以创新方式对生活规则领域作出贡献的研究员的研究和培训。动物生活在一个由微生物主导的世界里，许多昆虫与细菌密切生活在一起，这些细菌可能对它们有害，也可能对它们的环境有利。然而，对于动物和细菌如何共同努力以确保这种紧密交织的关系的稳定性，人们知之甚少。纳索尼亚黄蜂属和感染其生殖组织的沃尔巴克氏菌是研究系统如何进化以解决宿主与其常驻微生物之间冲突的一个极好的模型。这一建议将表征宿主遗传系统，控制这种亲密关系的密度。在这个系统的调查将探索宿主-微生物相互作用如何在动物王国进化的一般规则。为了扩大这项工作的影响，研究员将与不同的学生组织合作，指导学生，宣传实验室的空缺职位，并为国际实验室系列“发现微生物”提供教师讲习班！沃尔巴克氏菌项目（www.vanderbilt.edu/wobachiaproject）.The Nasonia属由密切相关的物种组成，每个物种都有独特的沃尔巴克氏菌类型。值得注意的是，一种黄蜂的沃尔巴克氏体只在它们的生殖组织中发现，并且保持在低密度。当这种沃尔巴克氏菌被转移到另一种相关的黄蜂物种时，沃尔巴克氏菌水平增加并扩展到其他组织。为了确定共同控制共生体遗传、传播、密度变化和随后的组织趋向性的基因，研究员将产生纳索尼亚片段渗入系，以分离负责控制低沃尔巴克氏体密度的遗传区域。其次，这些细胞系的精细定位和转录组学将确定调节沃尔巴克氏体密度的候选基因，这些基因将通过RNAi和CRISPR中断基因表达来验证。第三，体内免疫组织化学和基因产物的共免疫沉淀将确定与感兴趣的蛋白质相互作用的关键宿主或沃尔巴克氏体蛋白。该研究员将学习整合遗传学、进化生物学、免疫组织化学和生物化学的工具，以及时解决生物学中的问题。研究员还将参加一个为期10周的课程，以获得大学教学证书，以提高和完善他们的教学技能。为了增加项目的影响力，奖学金获得者将与当地机构和项目合作，通过提供研究和实验室培训的机会，扩大高中和本科阶段未被充分代表的学生的参与。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. Animals live in a world dominated by microorganisms, and many insects live closely together with bacteria that can harm them or provide advantages in their environments. However, little is known about how animals and bacteria work together to ensure stability in these tightly intertwined relationships. The Nasonia wasp genus and the Wolbachia bacteria that infect their reproductive tissues are an excellent model for investigating how a system evolves to resolve conflict between a host and its resident microbes. This proposal will characterize the host genetic system that controls the densities of this intimate relationship. Investigations in this system will explore general rules for how host-microbe interactions have evolved in the animal kingdom. To broaden the impact of the work, the Fellow will work with diverse student organizations to mentor students and advertise open positions in the laboratory and offer teacher workshops on the international lab series Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project (www.vanderbilt.edu/wobachiaproject).The Nasonia genus is comprised of closely related species and each species has unique types of Wolbachia bacteria. Notably, the Wolbachia of one wasp is found only in their reproductive tissues and is maintained at low densities. When this Wolbachia bacterium is transferred to a different related wasp species, Wolbachia levels increase and expand into other tissues. To identify the genes that together control symbiont inheritance, transmission, density variation, and ensuing tissue tropism, the Fellow will generate Nasonia segmental introgression lines to isolate the genetic regions responsible for controlling low Wolbachia densities. Second, fine-scale mapping and transcriptomics of these lines will determine the candidate genes that regulate Wolbachia densities which will be validated by disruptions to gene expression via RNAi and CRISPR. Third, in vivo immunohistochemistry and co-immunoprecipitation with the gene product(s) will determine the key host, or Wolbachia, proteins that interact with the proteins of interest. The Fellow will learn integrative tools bridging genetics, evolutionary biology, immunohistochemistry, and biochemistry to address timely questions in biology. The Fellow will also enroll in a 10-week course to obtain a Certificate in College Teaching to enhance and refine their teaching skills. To increase the impact of the project, the Fellow will collaborate with local institutions and programs to broaden participation of underrepresented students at the high school and undergraduate level by providing opportunities for research and lab training.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.