Collaborative Research: LIA: Genomic Mechanisms Controlling the Slow Development of the Antarctic Urchin Sterechinus Neumayeri

合作研究：LIA：控制南极海胆 Sterechinus Neumayeri 缓慢发育的基因组机制

• 批准号: 2038149
• 负责人: Jacob Warner
• 金额: $ 35.7万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-15 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2038149&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; LIA; Genomic; Mechanisms

Antarctic marine invertebrates exhibit extraordinarily slow rates of development. This phenomenon has arisen repeatedly in independent Antarctic lineages, including sea urchins, sea stars, brachiopods, and ribbon worms. Despite these observations, little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for slow developmental rates in Antarctic marine invertebrates. This proposal is developing the Antarctic sea urchin, Sterechinus neumayeri, as a model invertebrate organism to evaluate cold water organismal adaptation and development. Urchins collected from McMurdo Sound are being studied in carefully controlled laboratory experiments. This work is specifically identifying the gene regulatory network components responsible for regulating developmental timing in S. neumayeri and, more generally, which gene regulatory network elements evolved during adaption to the extreme environment of the Southern Ocean. The lab-based work is focusing in two specific areas: 1) Identify unique gene regulatory network components of S. neumayeri that evolved during its developmental adaptation to the Southern Ocean, and 2) Analyze spatial expression and functions of key genes in the early S. neumayeri gene regulatory networks controlling specification and patterning of territories along the early anterior-posterior axis. A comparative analysis of better studied urchins from warmer regions will be used to inform this work. This effort is relevant to several fields of biology ranging from polar biology, developmental biology, evolution, and genomics while explicitly tying genotype to phenotype. Broader impacts: The proposal included three early career investigators who are new to Antarctic research programs working alongside a well-established Antarctic investigator. The team has developed an ambitious program for science and technology training in computer coding and biology targeted for underrepresented students. They also have developed web-based bioinformatics training blog, “2-bitbio”, which aims to decrease the ‘barrier to entry’ into the field of bioinformatics.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.

南极海洋无脊椎动物的发育速度极其缓慢。这种现象在独立的南极谱系中反复出现，包括海胆、海星、腕足动物和带状蠕虫。尽管有这些观察结果，但人们对南极海洋无脊椎动物发育缓慢的分子机制知之甚少。 该提案正在开发南极海胆（Sterechinus neumayeri）作为无脊椎动物模型，以评估冷水生物体的适应和发育。从麦克默多湾收集的海胆正在经过严格控制的实验室实验中进行研究。这项工作专门确定了负责调节 S. neumayeri 发育时间的基因调控网络组件，更一般地说，是在适应南大洋极端环境过程中进化的基因调控网络元件。这项基于实验室的工作重点关注两个特定领域：1）识别纽马氏链虾在适应南大洋的发育适应过程中进化的独特基因调控网络组件；2）分析早期纽马氏链虾基因调控网络中关键基因的空间表达和功能，控制沿早期前后轴区域的规范和模式。对来自温暖地区的海胆进行更好的研究的比较分析将用于为这项工作提供信息。这项工作与极地生物学、发育生物学、进化和基因组学等多个生物学领域相关，同时明确地将基因型与表型联系起来。更广泛的影响：该提案包括三名刚接触南极研究项目的早期职业调查员，他们与一名成熟的南极调查员一起工作。该团队制定了一项雄心勃勃的计划，针对代表性不足的学生进行计算机编码和生物学方面的科学和技术培训。他们还开发了基于网络的生物信息学培训博客“2-bitbio”，旨在减少进入生物信息学领域的“门槛”。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。