NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Exploring host-parasite co-evolution under diverse selection pressures

这一行动为NSF 2021财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了支配基因组、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。该项目将调查寄生虫传播方式对寄生虫和宿主的原因和后果。寄生虫是自然界不可或缺的一部分，它已经进化出多种方式来利用宿主资源，逃避宿主免疫防御，并实现向新宿主的传播。以前的研究主要探索了寄生虫的垂直传播(例如，父母传给后代)或水平传播(例如，在同一代的成虫之间)。然而，许多寄生虫都是垂直和水平传播的，这些不同的传播方式在宿主和寄生虫进化中的作用尚不清楚。发现不同寄生虫传播方式的原因和后果有助于我们了解寄生虫如何感染宿主，并有助于为疾病控制策略提供信息。这位研究员将使用一种储存谷物的害虫--红粉甲虫及其自然产生的原生动物寄生虫来探索这些问题。此外，该研究员将：(1)通过跨越多个教育阶段的指导，增加STEM中代表性不足群体的个人的参与和留住；(2)在农业研究人员和利益攸关方之间建立关系。这位研究员将使用一种实验性的进化方法，在水平、垂直或混合寄生虫传播机制下，在多个世代内共同进化甲虫和寄生虫品系。该项目将分析宿主和寄生虫的适应轨迹作为传播模式的函数，并使用转录转录方法来识别寄生虫传播模式对宿主免疫系统进化的进化后果。该研究员将开发一个使用自适应动力学框架的数学模型，以评估与复杂的宿主-寄生虫相互作用相关的流行病学反馈如何影响宿主免疫表型和寄生虫毒力的进化。这位研究员将与范德比尔特的STEM教育和外联合作组织合作，制定一个指导计划，重点是将对STEM感兴趣的高中女性与范德比尔特大学的本科生、研究生和博士后女性配对。此外，该研究员将与谷物厂运营商和当地虫害综合管理办公室合作，讨论从该项目产生的知识如何为虫害管理战略提供参考。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 2021, 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. The project will investigate the causes and consequences of the modes of parasite transmission, for both the parasite and the host. Parasites are an integral part of the natural world and have evolved multiple ways to use host resources, evade host immune defenses, and achieve transmission to new hosts. Previous research has primarily explored either vertical (e.g., parent to offspring) or horizontal (e.g., between adults of the same generation) parasite transmission. However, many parasites are transmitted both vertically and horizontally, and the role of these different transmission modes in host and parasite evolution are not well understood. Discovering the causes and consequences of diverse parasite transmission modes help us understand how parasites infect hosts, and could help inform disease control strategies. The Fellow will explore these questions using a stored grain pest, the Red Flour Beetle, and its naturally occurring protozoan parasite. In addition, the Fellow will: (1) increase the participation and retention of individuals from underrepresented groups in STEM through mentorship spanning multiple educational stages and (2) build relationships between researchers and stakeholders in agriculture. The Fellow will use an experimental evolution approach to coevolve beetle and parasite lines over multiple generations under horizontal, vertical, or mixed parasite transmission regimes. This project will assay host and parasite fitness trajectories as a function of transmission mode, and employ transcriptomic methods to identify the evolutionary consequences of parasite transmission mode for host immune system evolution. The fellow will develop a mathematical model using an adaptive dynamics framework to assess how epidemiological feedbacks associated with complex host-parasite interactions influence evolution of both the host immune phenotype and parasite virulence. The Fellow will work with Vanderbilt’s Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach to develop a mentoring program focused on matching high school women of color interested in STEM with undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral women of color at Vanderbilt. In addition, the Fellow will collaborate with grain mill operators and the local integrated pest management office to discuss how the knowledge generated from this project can inform pest management strategies.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.