NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Maximizing power to uncover the molecular mechanisms between genotype and phenotype

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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. Proteins are industrious molecules that are essential to all life processes. DNA provides instructions for building these proteins: genes in the DNA are converted into RNA template molecules that are translated into protein molecules. However, the number of RNA molecules that are produced from a stretch of DNA (a gene) does not necessarily predict the number of protein molecules produced from that RNA. This imperfect relationship may itself be genetically encoded in DNA, which could provide information about how the genetic encoding of other life processes has evolved. To better understand how RNA and protein levels are genetically encoded in DNA and how this encoding may have come to be, the Fellow will compare RNA and protein produced from two different versions of genes within the same organism using Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes (tiny worms). This study will improve the genetic resources available to the large scientific community that uses C. elegans to study diverse biological processes. This work will also broaden participation in science via engagement and long-term mentorship of a high schooler from a group historically underrepresented in science and via communication of the Fellow’s research and disability-accessible career journey.The Fellow will investigate the molecular steps and evolutionary genomic patterns along the genotype-to-phenotype path by first characterizing the genetic control of RNA expression variation in C. elegans by analyzing allele-specific RNA sequencing data from crosses among five wild-type strains. The project will interrogate the evolutionary patterns underlying RNA expression variation by evaluating population genomic contexts. To test the hypothesis that genetic variants in close proximity buffer expression in the translation of RNA into protein, the Fellow will investigate allele-specific protein levels of a set of candidate genes within individual animals by engineering epitope tags for highly sensitive quantification. The Fellow will be trained for a flexible career in science via expertise expansion, coding and experimental design workshop development and implementation, and long-term mentoring of a high school and potentially undergraduate student; this mentorship will broaden the impact of the research by engaging members of historically underrepresented groups.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.