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

这一行动为NSF 2020财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，这些研究员将以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。动物生活在一个由微生物主导的世界里，许多昆虫与能够伤害它们或为它们的环境提供优势的细菌紧密地生活在一起。然而，关于动物和细菌如何合作以确保这些紧密交织的关系的稳定性，人们知之甚少。纳斯尼亚黄蜂属和感染其生殖组织的沃尔巴克氏细菌是研究一个系统如何进化以解决宿主与其驻留微生物之间的冲突的极好模型。这项提议将描述控制这种亲密关系密度的宿主遗传系统的特征。对这一系统的研究将探索宿主-微生物相互作用如何在动物界进化的一般规律。为了扩大这项工作的影响，该研究员将与不同的学生组织合作，指导学生并在实验室发布空缺职位，并就国际实验室系列《发现里面的微生物》提供教师工作坊。沃尔巴克氏菌计划(www.vanderbilt.edu/wobchiaproject)。纳斯尼亚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，一只黄蜂的沃尔巴克氏菌只在它们的生殖组织中发现，并保持在低密度。当这种沃尔巴克氏菌被转移到不同的相关黄蜂物种时，沃尔巴克氏菌的水平会增加，并扩展到其他组织。为了确定共同控制共生菌遗传、传播、密度变化和随后的组织趋向性的基因，该研究员将创建Nasonia节段渐渗系，以分离负责控制低Wolbachia密度的遗传区域。其次，对这些品系的精细定位和转录转录将确定调控沃尔巴克氏菌密度的候选基因，这将通过RNAi和CRISPR对基因表达的干扰来验证。第三，体内免疫组织化学和与基因产物(S)的免疫共沉淀将确定与目标蛋白相互作用的关键宿主或沃尔巴克氏菌蛋白。这位研究员将学习连接遗传学、进化生物学、免疫组织化学和生物化学的综合工具，以解决生物学中的及时问题。该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。为了增加该项目的影响力，该研究员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，扩大高中和本科水平未被充分代表的学生的参与。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.