NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Oviposition-relevant gustatory receptor evolution as a missing link governing insect-host plant specialization

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：与产卵相关的味觉受体进化是控制昆虫宿主植物专业化的缺失环节

• 批准号: 2109598
• 负责人: Rebekah Godfrey
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Godfrey, Rebekah Keating
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2023-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109598&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

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. Identifying a cohesive theory of insect-host plant associations has proved one of the most challenging biological questions. While the ecological and evolutionary relationships between insects and their host plants often hinge on variation in a few key genes, we know relatively little about which genes drive host plant associations and how variation in these genes affects host plant selection or use. Where an insect lays her eggs has very real fitness consequences, making oviposition a strong candidate behavior to connect genetic variation and host plant use. This research will identify taste receptor genes involved specifically in oviposition and quantify variation in these genes within and across species of closely related hawkmoths that vary in host plant use. The Fellow will work within the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera Diversity to directly mentor scientists at the undergraduate and graduate level and to broaden knowledge of and interest in insect neuroscience both in students underrepresented in STEM and the general public. This project tests the hypothesis that selection on oviposition-related sensory receptors acts as a primary driver in host breadth in Lepidoptera. The project focuses on gustatory receptors (GRs) because they are the primary sensory receptors used to sense plant surface compounds and elicit or deter oviposition. The Fellow will (1) test whether variation in gustatory receptor genes is associated with host use in species that vary in host breadth, (2) identify gustatory receptor genes involved in host selection by comparing sex-specific gene expression, and (3) test whether variation in receptor gene sequences and gene expression across populations are associated with population-specific host use. This fellowship will provide the Fellow with training in collecting and analyzing molecular data from an evolutionary perspective. Furthermore, the project will provide functionally relevant targets for gene editing in future neuroethology experiments and will serve as a model for studying natural selection on the nervous system; the Fellow’s museum outreach activities and involvement of students in research ensures these ideas and training will reach a diverse, public audience.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.

该行动资助了2021财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，即调查基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。确定昆虫-寄主植物关联的内聚理论已被证明是最具挑战性的生物学问题之一。虽然昆虫与其寄主植物之间的生态和进化关系往往取决于一些关键基因的变异，但我们对哪些基因驱动寄主植物关联以及这些基因的变异如何影响寄主植物的选择或使用知之甚少。昆虫在哪里产卵具有非常真实的适应性后果，使产卵成为连接遗传变异和宿主植物利用的强有力的候选行为。这项研究将确定专门参与产卵的味觉受体基因，并量化这些基因在寄主植物使用不同的密切相关的天蛾物种内和物种间的变异。该研究员将在麦奎尔鳞翅目多样性中心工作，直接指导本科生和研究生水平的科学家，并扩大STEM中代表性不足的学生和公众对昆虫神经科学的知识和兴趣。本项目验证了鳞翅目昆虫对产卵相关感觉受体的选择是影响寄主宽度的主要驱动力这一假设。该项目的重点是味觉受体（GR），因为它们是用于感知植物表面化合物并引发或阻止产卵的主要感觉受体。研究员将（1）测试味觉受体基因的变异是否与宿主宽度不同的物种中的宿主使用有关，（2）通过比较性别特异性基因表达来识别参与宿主选择的味觉受体基因，（3）测试不同种群中受体基因序列和基因表达的变异是否与种群特异性宿主使用有关。该研究金将为研究员提供从进化角度收集和分析分子数据的培训。此外，该项目将为未来的神经行为学实验中的基因编辑提供功能相关的目标，并将作为研究神经系统自然选择的模型;研究员的博物馆外展活动和学生参与研究确保这些想法和培训将达到多样化，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Brain size scaling through development in the whitelined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) shows mass and cell number comparable to flies, bees, and wasps

白线狮身人面像蛾 (Hyles lineata) 的脑部大小在发育过程中的变化显示出与苍蝇、蜜蜂和黄蜂相当的质量和细胞数量

• DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2023.101329
• 发表时间: 2024
• 期刊: Arthropod Structure & Development
• 影响因子: 2
• 作者: Aksamit, Isabel C.;Dorigão-Guimarães, Felipe;Gronenberg, Wulfila;Godfrey, R. Keating
• 通讯作者: Godfrey, R. Keating

Larval and Pupal Silk Variation in the Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella): the Impact of Overcrowding and Temperature

• DOI: 10.18473/lepi.77i2.a5
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 期刊: The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society
• 作者: Toshita V. Barve;R. Godfrey;Caroline G. Storer;A. Kawahara