Investigating the Molecular, Neurophysiological and Behavioral Effects of Hypoxia in Marine Mollusks

CREST项目中的科学和技术卓越研究中心-博士后研究奖学金(CREST-PRF)轨道为CREST中心具有巨大潜力的初学者提供支持，并为他们提供培训和研究经验，这些培训和研究经验将拓宽视野，促进跨学科互动，并使他们在科学界处于领导地位。该CREST-PRF项目与波多黎各大学CREST环境神经科学中心的研究重点一致。这项研究的目标是让博士后接受动物神经生理学和发育生物学方面的培训。这项拟议的研究将建立在该研究员在表观遗传学、分子生物学和生态毒理学方面的背景之上。这位博士后研究员打算与公众合作，促进专注于沿海城市生态系统的保护工作，通过积极的指导和教学，扩大生物学中代表性较低的群体的参与，并促进波多黎各大学和南佛罗里达州少数族裔服务机构之间的科学合作。越来越多的证据表明，受发育和环境信号影响的表观遗传机制在调节基因表达和潜在调节行为和记忆方面发挥着关键作用。然而，尚不清楚环境暴露驱动的表观遗传修饰如何影响短期和长期行为反应。这项拟议的工作的目的是解开表观遗传效应在压力行为反应的建立和可塑性中的作用。这项拟议的工作将调查分子、细胞和行为对低氧的反应之间的联系；评估分子和狭义可塑性对应激源的遗传和由此产生的行为结果；以及研究沿海城市环境中最近发生低氧事件的这些可塑性反应。神经组织学方法，包括免疫组织化学和染料注射，有望使博士后研究员能够研究单个已识别的神经元。再加上他之前的培训，这位博士后研究员有可能处于独特的地位，开始一项独立的职业生涯，研究环境扰动对神经功能的表观遗传影响。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (CREST-PRF) track within the CREST program supports beginning CREST Center investigators with significant potential and provides them with training and research experiences that will broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions and establish them in positions of leadership within the scientific community. This CREST-PRF project is aligned with the research focus of the CREST Center for Environmental Neuroscience at the University of Puerto Rico. The goal of this research is for the post doctoral fellow to receive training in animal neurophysiology and developmental biology. The proposed research will build on the fellow's background in epigenetics, molecular biology, and ecotoxicology. The postdoctoral fellow intends to engage with the public to promote conservation efforts focused on coastal urban ecosystems, broaden the participation of groups underrepresented in biology through active mentoring and teaching, and promote scientific collaboration between Puerto Rican universities and minority serving institutions in South Florida.Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms, which are influenced by developmental and environmental signals, play a crucial role in regulating gene expression and potentially modulate behavior and memory. However, it is unclear how environmental-exposure-driven epigenetic modifications could affect short and long-term behavioral responses. The intent of the proposed work is to disentangle epigenetic effects in the establishment and plasticity of behavioral responses to stress. The proposed work will investigate linkages between molecular, cellular, and behavioral responses to hypoxia; evaluate the inheritance of molecular and narrow plasticity to stressors and the resulting behavior outcomes; and studying these plastic responses in coastal urban environments with a recent history of hypoxic events. Neurohistology methods, including immunohistochemistry and dye injection are expected to enable the postdoctoral fellow to work on individual identified neurons. Coupled with his prior training, the post-doctoral fellow has the potential to be uniquely positioned to embark on an independent career studying epigenetic impacts of environmental perturbations on neurological function.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.