NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Comparative viromics in vertebrates from the Sonoran Desert of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico and Arizona

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：下加利福尼亚半岛、墨西哥和亚利桑那州索诺兰沙漠脊椎动物的比较病毒组学

• 批准号: 2109458
• 负责人: Karla Vargas
• 金额: $ 20.7万
• 依托单位: Vargas, Karla Leonor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109458&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Viruses play essential roles supporting life on Earth. They are present in all environments and can affect all types of organisms. Viruses are genetically and structurally diverse and their evolution is linked to their hosts. The fellow will characterize viral communities in wildlife and investigate host-virus dynamics in the Sonoran Desert. The natural variation of this region makes it the ideal setting to explore viral diversity associated with wildlife and the interactions between the host and the virus. This research is relevant to understanding factors that contribute to genetic variation within species, and also to understand how new species of viruses can emerge. Furthermore, investigating undiscovered viral communities in wildlife may be instrumental to gain knowledge on emergence of new viruses and prevent potential spread to humans. This fellowship will support the research, training, and career advancement of a fellow from an underrepresented group in STEM. The fellow will develop initiatives for underrepresented groups at the postdoctoral level, provide mentorship and develop educational tools. In collaboration with the NSF funded BajaGeoGenomics consortium, the fellow will sample across the Baja California peninsula, Mexico (BCP), and the Sonoran Desert, Arizona (SDA) and follow a viral metagenomics approach to a) characterize RNA and DNA viruses associated with host populations of rodents, lizards, and carnivores, b) compare viral diversity within BCP and SDA host populations and evaluate potential geo-climatic and demographic predictors of viral diversity, and c) assess host-virus dynamics across BCP by investigating whether viral genomic differences are consistent with intraspecific genetic divergence between northern and southern populations. The project will integrate genomic and biogeographic data to fill fundamental gaps in viral diversity and explore the role of environmental stressors and host demographics in host-virus systems. The fellow will investigate the lineal history of host and viruses in context of the geo-climatic history of the region, predictors of viral richness, and patterns of divergence in viruses and hosts. As part of this appointment, the fellow will work along an international cross-disciplinary team, receive training in viral metagenomics methods, organize an international postdoctoral seminar series, initiate a virtual network for Latinx postdocs, contribute to the development of bilingual educational videos, and promote science education and mentorship for K-12 students.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，扩大了生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。该研究金支持研究员的一项研究和培训计划，该计划将增加在生物学领域代表性不足的群体的参与。病毒在支持地球生命方面发挥着重要作用。它们存在于所有环境中，可以影响所有类型的生物体。病毒在基因和结构上是多样的，它们的进化与宿主有关。该研究员将描述野生动物中的病毒群落，并调查索诺兰沙漠中的宿主病毒动态。该地区的自然变异使其成为探索与野生动物相关的病毒多样性以及宿主与病毒之间相互作用的理想环境。这项研究有助于了解导致物种内遗传变异的因素，也有助于了解新的病毒物种如何出现。此外，调查野生动物中未发现的病毒群落可能有助于了解新病毒的出现并防止潜在的传播给人类。该奖学金将支持来自STEM代表性不足的群体的研究员的研究，培训和职业发展。该研究员将在博士后一级为代表性不足的群体制定倡议，提供指导并开发教育工具。该研究员将与NSF资助的BajaGeoGenomics财团合作，在墨西哥的下加利福尼亚半岛（BCP）和亚利桑那州的索诺兰沙漠（SDA）进行采样，并采用病毒宏基因组学方法来a）表征与啮齿动物，蜥蜴和食肉动物宿主种群相关的RNA和DNA病毒，B）比较BCP和SDA宿主群体内病毒多样性并评估病毒多样性的潜在地理气候和人口统计学预测因子，和c）通过调查病毒基因组差异是否与北方和南方种群之间的种内遗传差异一致来评估BCP上的宿主-病毒动态。该项目将整合基因组和病毒学数据，以填补病毒多样性的根本空白，并探索环境压力源和宿主人口统计学在宿主病毒系统中的作用。该研究员将在该地区的地理气候历史背景下调查宿主和病毒的直系历史，病毒丰富度的预测因素以及病毒和宿主的分歧模式。作为这项任命的一部分，该研究员将沿着一个国际跨学科团队，接受病毒宏基因组学方法的培训，组织国际博士后研讨会系列，为Latinx博士后启动虚拟网络，为双语教育视频的开发做出贡献，并促进科学教育和指导K-12名学生。这一奖项反映了国家科学基金会的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

项目成果

Identification of a novel polyomavirus in wild Sonoran Desert rodents of the family Heteromyidae

• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-023-05877-5
• 发表时间: 2023-10-01
• 期刊: ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Vargas，Karla L.;Kraberger，Simona;Varsani，Arvind
• 通讯作者: Varsani，Arvind