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.

该行动为2020财年的生物学生物学研究金提供了一项NSF博士后研究奖学金，扩大了人数不足的生物学的参与。奖学金支持该研究员的研究和培训计划，这将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。病毒扮演着支持地球生活的重要角色。它们存在于所有环境中，并且可能影响所有类型的生物。病毒在遗传和结构上是多种多样的，它们的进化与宿主有关。该研究员将描述野生动植物中的病毒群落，并调查索诺兰沙漠中的宿主病毒动态。该区域的自然变化使其成为探索与野生动植物相关的病毒多样性以及宿主与病毒之间的相互作用的理想环境。这项研究与理解有助于物种内遗传变异的因素以及了解新的病毒可能出现的因素有关。此外，调查野生动植物中未发现的病毒群落可能有助于获取新病毒的出现并防止潜在传播到人类。该奖学金将支持来自STEM中代表性不足的小组的研究，培训和职业发展。该研究员将在博士后层面制定代表性不足的群体，提供指导并开发教育工具。与NSF资助的Bajageogenomics联盟合作，该家伙将在墨西哥Baja California Peninsula（BCP）和亚利桑那州的Sonoran Desert（SDA）中采样，并遵循一种病毒式元素学方法，以表征与RNA和DNA病毒相关的RNA和DNA病毒。 SDA宿主种群并评估病毒多样性的潜在地球气候和人口统计学预测因素，c）通过研究病毒基因组差异是否与北部和南部人群之间种内遗传差异一致，评估整个BCP的宿主病毒动力学。该项目将整合基因组和生物地理数据，以填补病毒多样性中的基本差距，并探讨环境压力源和宿主人群在宿主病毒系统中的作用。该研究员将根据该地区的地理气候历史，病毒丰富性的预测指标以及病毒和宿主的差异模式研究宿主和病毒的线性历史。作为这项任命的一部分，该研究员将与国际跨学科的团队合作，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，启动一个用于拉丁裔博士后的虚拟网络，促进了双文化的教育和指导，并促进了K-11的奖励。基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

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