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NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: From parasitism to mutualism in a Wolbachia-Drosophila symbiosis

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：从沃尔巴克氏体-果蝇共生中的寄生到互利共生

基本信息

批准号：
2109772
负责人：
Jessamyn Perlmutter
金额：
$ 13.8万
依托单位：
Perlmutter, Jessamyn
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：
2021-09-01 至 2023-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109772&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship Biology FY

项目摘要

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. Animal-microbe symbioses are ubiquitous in nature and are found in biological processes that include host immunity, development, nutrition, and fertility. Many mutualisms are thought to have developed from parasitic relationships but it is rare to find a symbiosis at the transition point between these states. The Fellow will investigate a symbiosis wherein previously parasitic bacteria of fruit flies have now developed a dual parasitic-mutualistic relationship with the host. While maintaining the ability to kill male hosts (male-killing), the strain is also required for host development. This system represents a unique opportunity to study a mutualism at a symbiotic transition point, allowing the Fellow to investigate the genetic basis for the change and in what contexts this condition may develop. The work includes outreach to local students from diverse backgrounds through a database of online, low-cost activities that teach important scientific concepts.The Fellow will address this research topic by performing experiments with a strain of Drosophila bifasciata infected with male-killing Wolbachia to address two main points: the genetic basis of this symbiotic transition and the contexts in which dual male-killer-mutualists successfully invade a population. The hypothesis is that the infected host strain has developed a critical developmental defect that is rescued by the parasite. To address the first question, the Fellow will perform comparative genomics on the infected host strain and an uninfected strain using fluorescence microscopy, gene expression analysis, and trans-infection experiments to identify the hypothesized host defect(s) at genetic and cellular levels. To address the second question, the Fellow will use theoretical population genetic modeling, experimental cage experiments, and population genetics of wild-caught D. bifasciata flies to determine the conditions in which a dual mutualist-male-killer may succeed in a mixed population. This work will be completed with training from Drs. Robert Unckless and Erik Lundquist at the University of Kansas and will focus on population genetics, bioinformatics, theoretical modeling, and microscopy. The research is complemented by development of a local program where diverse scientists will engage local kids in games and activities that teach scientific concepts and that will be available to anyone online.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2021财年NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，研究基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该奖学金支持将以创新方式为《生活规则》领域作出贡献的研究员的研究和培训。动物-微生物共生现象在自然界中无处不在，在宿主免疫、发育、营养和生育等生物过程中都有发现。许多共生关系被认为是从寄生关系发展而来的，但在这些状态之间的过渡点很少发现共生关系。该研究员将研究一种共生关系，其中以前果蝇的寄生细菌现在与宿主发展了双重寄生互惠关系。在保持杀死雄性宿主的能力的同时，该菌株也是宿主发育所必需的。这个系统提供了一个独特的机会来研究共生过渡点上的互惠关系，使研究员能够调查这种变化的遗传基础，以及在什么情况下这种情况可能会发展。这项工作包括通过一个教授重要科学概念的低成本在线活动数据库，与来自不同背景的当地学生进行接触。该研究员将通过对感染了杀死雄性沃尔巴克氏体的双歧果蝇进行实验来解决这一研究课题，以解决两个主要问题：这种共生过渡的遗传基础以及双重雄性杀手-共生者成功入侵种群的背景。假设是，受感染的宿主菌株已经发展出一种关键的发育缺陷，由寄生虫拯救。为了解决第一个问题，研究员将对感染的宿主菌株和未感染的菌株进行比较基因组学，使用荧光显微镜、基因表达分析和交叉感染实验，以在遗传和细胞水平上确定假设的宿主缺陷。为了解决第二个问题，研究员将使用理论种群遗传模型、实验笼实验和野生捕获的双歧双歧蝇的种群遗传学来确定双重互惠-雄性杀手可能在混合种群中成功的条件。这项工作将在博士的培训下完成。Robert Unckless和Erik Lundquist在堪萨斯大学，将专注于群体遗传学，生物信息学，理论建模和显微镜。这项研究还得到了一个地方项目的发展的补充，在这个项目中，不同的科学家将让当地的孩子参与教授科学概念的游戏和活动，这些游戏和活动将在网上向任何人开放。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。