NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Uncovering the molecular mechanisms that govern cnidarian-algal symbiosis using forward genetic screens

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。该研究员将研究气候变化对刺胞动物-藻类共生关系的影响（刺胞动物包括珊瑚、水母和海葵）。这种共生关系对海洋生态系统的稳定至关重要。然而，由于海水温度升高，许多共生刺胞动物正在迅速死亡。拟议的工作将试图了解如何通过在细胞水平上研究这种关系背后的机制，在不断变化的气候下保持这种关系。通过这项奖学金获得的知识将提供数据，将有助于这些动物的保护工作，并帮助我们更好地了解这个生态系统。该奖项不仅允许来自代表性不足背景的研究员进行培训，还将允许该研究员通过在实验室环境中为他们提供指导和培训来增加来自代表性不足背景的学生的参与。该研究员提出的研究旨在了解刺胞藻共生的细胞机制。该研究员将使用正向遗传策略来探索建立珊瑚-藻类共生的必要基因。已知共生藻科Breviolum minutum菌株SSB 01能够与包括珊瑚、海葵和水母在内的许多刺胞动物形成共生。其中一种被用作研究与这种共生关系有关的问题的模型系统的刺胞动物是水母Cassiopea xamachana。对于本研究项目，将生成SSB 01的藻类突变体库，然后评估其繁殖Cassiopea xamachana的能力。C. Xamachana息肉易于饲养并在实验室环境中大量生长，这将允许对与藻类突变体的共生稳定性进行高通量分析。由于与珊瑚一起工作可能存在问题，因此在细胞水平上开发这种模型系统可能使我们能够开发工程策略来对抗破坏性的珊瑚漂白。可能的策略可能包括有针对性的基因改造或在实验室内进化的藻类是耐漂白。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

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. The fellow will be studying the impacts of climate change on the cnidarian-algal symbiotic relationship (cnidarians include corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones). This symbiotic relationship is crucial to the stability of marine ecosystems. However, due to increased sea temperatures, many symbiotic cnidarians are dying rapidly. The proposed work will seek to understand how to preserve this relationship under the changing climate by studying the mechanisms behind this relationship at a cellular level. The knowledge gained through this fellowship will provide data that will assist in the conservation efforts of these animals, and help us to better understand this ecosystem. This award will not only allow for the training of a fellow from an underrepresented background, it will also allow the fellow to increase participation of students from underrepresented backgrounds by providing them with mentorship and training in a laboratory setting. The research proposed by the fellow seeks to understand the cellular mechanisms underlying the cnidarian-algal symbiosis. The fellow will use a forward genetic strategy to probe the essential genes for establishing the coral-algal symbiosis. Symbiodiniaceae Breviolum minutum strain SSB01 is known to be able to form symbiosis with many cnidarians including corals, sea anemones and jellyfish. One such cnidarian that is used as a model system for researching questions related to this symbiosis is the jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana. For this research project a library of algal mutants of SSB01 will be generated and then evaluated for their ability to populate Cassiopea xamachana. C. xamachana polyps are easy to rear and grow in large numbers in a laboratory setting which will allow for high throughput analysis of the stability of the symbiosis with the algal mutants. Because working with corals can be problematic, the development of this model system on a cellular level may allow us to develop engineering strategies to counter devastating coral bleaching. Possible strategies might include targeted genetic modification or in-laboratory evolution of algae that are resistant to bleaching.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.