NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020:Connecting development and physiology to understand the evolution of novel sensory systems

2020 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：将发育与生理学联系起来，了解新型感觉系统的进化

• 批准号: 2010728
• 负责人: Corey Allard
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Allard, Corey Albert Harris
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2010728&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

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. To perceive and interact with their worlds, all organisms depend on a host of sensory abilities that evolved to meet the specific demands of the organism’s lifestyle. Among animals these senses are mediated by specialized organs that evolved to detect certain stimuli, such as eyes for light and ears for sound. These organs contain specialized cells that detect a specific stimulus and then transmit that information onward to the animal’s nervous system to enable specific behavioral responses. While many animals share a common set of sensory organs such as eyes and ears, some sensory specialists have acquired unique sensory abilities through the evolution of novel sensory organs that provide a competitive advantage in certain environments. One such organism is the sea robin, which is a fish that has evolved six leg-like appendages with sensory properties that enable it to locate prey buried in the sea floor. These legs are thought to sense both chemical and mechanical stimuli, but the cells and molecules that endow sea robin legs with sensory abilities have not been identified, and the developmental basis for the evolution of the legs is unknown. The goals of this research are to identify the molecules, cells, and developmental programs that have enabled the evolution of these specialized sensory appendages. By examining the physiology, evolution and development of these unusual sensory organs, this research will contribute to the understanding of the diverse mechanisms that underlie sensory processes, and more broadly illuminate the relationship between sensory systems and evolution. Beyond the scientific merit, the impact of this work will be broadened through the training and inclusion of new scientists, and through scientific outreach.This project spans hierarchical levels of biological organization to link the structure and function of proteins, cells, and tissues with the specific, niche-defining animal behaviors they enable. First, sensory receptors and cells in the sensory legs will be identified using genetic approaches including bulk-tissue and single-cell transcriptional profiling (Aim1). Next, the mechanisms of sensory signal transduction used in leg-localized sensory cells will be investigated using biophysical approaches including patch-clamp electrophysiology in combination with quantitative behavioral analysis of live sea robins (Aim 2). Finally, the developmental basis for the evolution of sensory legs will be examined in developing sea robins through techniques including RNA sequencing and histology, with the goal of uncovering the origins of their sensory cells and elucidating the genetic blueprint underlying their unique morphology (Aim 3). Broader impacts of the project include student mentoring and outreach to increase public understanding of science.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.

这项行动资助了2020财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，综合研究调查了基因组，环境和表型之间的生命相互作用的规则。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。为了感知世界并与之互动，所有生物体都依赖于一系列感官能力，这些能力是为了满足生物体生活方式的特定需求而进化的。在动物中，这些感觉是由专门的器官介导的，这些器官进化成检测某些刺激，例如眼睛用于光，耳朵用于声音。这些器官包含专门的细胞，检测特定的刺激，然后将信息传递到动物的神经系统，以实现特定的行为反应。虽然许多动物都有一套共同的感觉器官，如眼睛和耳朵，但一些感觉专家通过进化新的感觉器官获得了独特的感觉能力，这些感觉器官在某些环境中提供了竞争优势。其中一种生物是海知更鸟，这种鱼进化出了六条腿状的附属物，这些附属物具有感官特性，使其能够找到埋在海底的猎物。这些腿被认为可以感知化学和机械刺激，但赋予海知更鸟腿感官能力的细胞和分子尚未被确定，腿进化的发育基础也未知。这项研究的目标是确定分子，细胞和发育程序，使这些专门的感觉附属物的进化。通过研究这些不寻常的感觉器官的生理学，进化和发展，这项研究将有助于理解感觉过程背后的各种机制，并更广泛地阐明感觉系统和进化之间的关系。除了科学价值，这项工作的影响将通过培训和吸纳新的科学家，并通过科学推广来扩大。这个项目跨越了生物组织的层次，将蛋白质，细胞和组织的结构和功能与它们所能实现的特定，利基定义的动物行为联系起来。首先，感觉腿中的感觉受体和细胞将使用遗传方法进行鉴定，包括大块组织和单细胞转录谱（Aim1）。接下来，将使用生物物理方法，包括膜片钳电生理学结合定量行为分析的活海知更鸟（目标2）的腿定位的感觉细胞中使用的感觉信号转导的机制进行研究。最后，通过RNA测序和组织学等技术，将在开发海知更鸟的过程中研究感觉腿进化的发育基础，目的是揭示其感觉细胞的起源，并阐明其独特形态背后的遗传蓝图（目标3）。该项目更广泛的影响包括学生指导和推广，以增加公众对科学的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

项目成果

Sea robins

海知更鸟

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.015
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Current Biology
• 影响因子: 9.2
• 作者: Allard, Corey A.H.;Herbert, Amy L.;Kingsley, David M.;Bellono, Nicholas W.
• 通讯作者: Bellono, Nicholas W.

Cephalopod chemotactile sensation

头足类化学触觉

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.011
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Current Biology
• 影响因子: 9.2
• 作者: Allard, Corey A.;Valencia-Montoya, Wendy A.;Bellono, Nicholas W.
• 通讯作者: Bellono, Nicholas W.