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CAREER: Physiological genomics of sexually dimorphic developmental plasticity on butterfly wings

职业：蝴蝶翅膀两性二态性发育可塑性的生理基因组学

基本信息

批准号：
2143339
负责人：
Brian Counterman
金额：
$ 156.56万
依托单位：
Auburn University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2022-02-15 至 2027-01-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2143339&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
CAREER Physiological genomics sexually dimorphic

项目摘要

This award is funded in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Seasonal changes of the colors on butterfly wings are perhaps the most exquisite illustration of how the environment can influence an organism’s development. Understanding how a change in the seasons triggers a cascade of complex changes inside a caterpillar that weeks or months later results in drastic changes in the butterfly’s wing color has boggled people’s minds for centuries. The research of this project aims to fill this gap in our understanding using an integrative approach to track the changes in wing development and, importantly, test how such changes impact the butterfly’s future mating success. The results will offer a detailed picture of the fundamental processes involved when an environmental trigger causes changes in organismal development. The educational plan of this project leverages the charismatic nature of butterflies and tractability of seasonal plasticity to establish an outreach program that aims to increase interest and participation in the sciences of rural middle school teachers and students. Through a series of organized events, middle school students will develop their own research projects that they will complete throughout the year. The experiences aim to positively alter the science education environment for all involved, which could have life-long impacts on their appreciation of science, much like the life-long impacts developmental environments can have on an organism.The aim of this project is to study the genomic changes involved in seasonal plasticity and genetic assimilation of a sexually dimorphic trait: butterfly wing color patterns. The project further aims to test how plasticity and assimilation of secondary sexual traits that influence adaptation and speciation, such as butterfly wing patterns, impact organismal mating success. Counterman will combine genome sequencing, genetic mapping, gene expression, DNA accessibility, and CRISPR-based gene editing approaches to characterize the genetic changes involved in plasticity and assimilation. These experiments will be complemented with mate preference trials to assay how the plastic wing patterns impact mating success and may be a target of sexual selection. Equally important, the project aims to establish an education and outreach program that trains and empowers middle school teachers and students to develop hypothesis-driven research projects they can pursue inside and outside of the classroom. Collectively, this project reflects a major effort to (i) fill important gaps in our understanding of the genetic mechanisms involved in plasticity and assimilation, (ii) provide an example of a genotype-to-phenotype connection that extends from DNA to whole organism, and (iii) train teachers and students in conducting biological research that has long-lasting impacts on views and interests in STEM for future generations.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.

该奖项的部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。蝴蝶翅膀上颜色的季节性变化可能是环境如何影响生物体发育的最精妙的例证。几个世纪以来，人们对季节的变化如何引发毛虫体内一系列复杂的变化，并在几周或几个月后导致蝴蝶翅膀颜色的剧烈变化的理解，一直令人困惑。这个项目的研究旨在通过一种综合的方法来填补我们在理解上的这一空白，以跟踪翅膀发育的变化，并重要的是，测试这些变化如何影响蝴蝶未来的交配成功。研究结果将提供环境触发因素导致生物体发育变化时所涉及的基本过程的详细图景。这个项目的教育计划利用蝴蝶的魅力和季节性可塑性的可驯性来建立一个外展计划，旨在增加农村中学师生对科学的兴趣和参与。通过一系列有组织的活动，中学生将开发他们自己的研究项目，他们将完成全年。这些体验旨在积极改变参与其中的所有人的科学教育环境，这可能会对他们的科学欣赏产生终身影响，就像发育环境可能对有机体产生的终身影响一样。该项目的目的是研究季节性可塑性和性二型特征--蝴蝶翅膀颜色图案的遗传同化所涉及的基因组变化。该项目还旨在测试影响适应和物种形成的第二性征的可塑性和同化，如蝴蝶翅膀图案，如何影响生物交配成功。Counterman将结合基因组测序、遗传图谱、基因表达、DNA可获得性和基于CRISPR的基因编辑方法来表征与可塑性和同化有关的遗传变化。这些实验将与配偶偏好试验相补充，以分析塑料翅膀图案如何影响交配成功，并可能成为性选择的目标。同样重要的是，该项目旨在建立一个教育和推广计划，培训和增强中学教师和学生开发假设驱动的研究项目的能力，他们可以在课堂内外进行研究。总体而言，该项目反映了一项重大努力，目的是(I)填补我们对可塑性和同化所涉及的遗传机制的理解中的重要空白，(Ii)提供从DNA延伸到整个有机体的基因型与表型联系的例子，以及(Iii)培训教师和学生进行生物学研究，这将对未来几代人对STEM的观点和兴趣产生长期影响。该奖项反映了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，被认为值得支持。