CAREER: Mechanisms regulating phenotypic plasticity in a highly social hermaphroditic fish

职业：高度社会性雌雄同体鱼类表型可塑性的调节机制

• 批准号: 2145398
• 负责人: Devaleena Pradhan
• 金额: $ 86.76万
• 依托单位: Idaho State 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: 2022-06-15 至 2027-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2145398&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Mechanisms; regulating; phenotypic; plasticity

This work will advance new knowledge of how the endocrine system of an organism converts signals from the external environment to alter traits that are expressed – a phenomenon known as phenotypic plasticity. This will be accomplished through studying a remarkable natural system, a highly social marine fish, the bluebanded goby, that is sex role reversed and capable of natural sex change as an adult. In response to status instability in their social group, these fish immediately display behavioral changes and over a few days, a complete transformation of their reproductive organs occurs. Multiple biochemical pathways that activate and/or deactivate steroid hormones can rapidly turn on to modulate gene expression so that cells and entire tissues can change future function. By combining traditional approaches and technological advances in disciplines such as analytical chemistry, bio-engineering design, and molecular biology, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of how steroid hormone signaling can regulate these complex changes. This proposal specifically merges academic trainees from the high school to postdoctoral level to create inclusive learning exchanges. Through enrolling in a multi-year course, students will work toward mentored research and educational goals where they will be encouraged to become “knowledge producers” rather than “consumers”, building a strong foundation for future scientific pursuit. In addition to building scientific literacy in the general population and rural communities, this project will directly remove barriers for exposure to science for Native American youth through education enrichment modules. The phenome, a set of all observable traits expressed by a cell, tissue, organ, organism, or species, is often tightly coupled via strong selection with changes in the physical and/or social environment. This project investigates mechanisms by which endocrine-network molecules transduce dynamic signals in the social environment to regulate both rapid and long-term phenotypic responses during complex life history transitions. Lythrypnus dalli are a bi-directionally hermaphroditic fish species that have environmental sex determination. Stable social groups comprise of harems with a sex role reversed male at the top of the hierarchy that provides paternal care through intense fanning and rubbing of eggs. In response to social instability, the most dominant female exhibits heightened aggression and territoriality, initiates parenting, and changes gonadal morphology. Each of the three aims of the project will address a different level of biological organization that converges technical and conceptual knowledge to study the initiation and maintenance of phenotypes in stable and sex changing fish: 1) discern post-translational mechanisms by which steroidogenic enzymes regulate sex steroid synthesis, 2) determine the steroid signaling mechanisms that regulate fin kinematics during parenting, and 3) determine the spatio-temporal patterns of gene regulatory networks. The third aim will be accomplished through a Vertically Integrated Project course wherein undergraduate students will work in small groups under peer-based mentorship to discover the anatomical distribution of endocrine and developmental genes. Access to science literacy will be enhanced for rural populations and tribal youth through innovative educational modules that address specific cultural needs of the community.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.

这项工作将推进关于生物体的内分泌系统如何转换来自外部环境的信号以改变所表达的特征的新知识--一种被称为表型可塑性的现象。这将通过研究一种非凡的自然系统来实现，这是一种高度社会化的海鱼，蓝带虎鱼，即性别角色颠倒，能够作为成年人进行自然的性别转变。为了应对其社会群体中地位的不稳定，这些鱼立即表现出行为变化，几天后，它们的生殖器官发生了完全的转变。激活和/或停用类固醇激素的多种生化途径可以迅速启动以调节基因表达，从而使细胞和整个组织能够改变未来的功能。通过结合分析化学、生物工程设计和分子生物学等学科的传统方法和技术进步，该项目将提供对类固醇激素信号如何调节这些复杂变化的全面理解。这项建议专门将从高中到博士后层面的学术实习生合并，创建包容性学习交流。通过注册一个多年的课程，学生将朝着指导研究和教育目标努力，在那里他们将被鼓励成为“知识生产者”而不是“消费者”，为未来的科学追求奠定坚实的基础。除了在一般人口和农村社区建立科学素养外，该项目还将通过教育丰富模块直接为美洲原住民青年消除接触科学的障碍。表现组是一组由细胞、组织、器官、生物体或物种表达的所有可观察到的特征，通常通过强选择与物理和/或社会环境的变化紧密地结合在一起。该项目研究了内分泌网络分子在社会环境中传递动态信号以调节复杂生活史转变期间快速和长期表型反应的机制。大丽鱼是一种双向两性鱼类，具有环境性别决定作用。稳定的社会群体由性别角色颠倒的后宫组成，在等级制度的顶端，通过密集地扇动和摩擦鸡蛋来提供父亲的照顾。作为对社会不稳定的反应，最具统治力的女性表现出更强的攻击性和领土意识，开始养育子女，并改变性腺形态。该项目的三个目标中的每一个都将涉及不同水平的生物组织，这些组织汇集了技术和概念知识，以研究稳定和性别变化鱼类表型的启动和维持：1)识别类固醇生成酶调节性类固醇合成的翻译后机制，2)确定在育儿过程中调节鳍运动的类固醇信号机制，以及3)确定基因调控网络的时空模式。第三个目标将通过垂直整合项目课程来实现，在该课程中，本科生将在基于同伴的指导下以小组形式工作，以发现内分泌和发育基因的解剖分布。通过针对社区特定文化需求的创新教育模块，将加强农村人口和部落青年获得科学素养的机会。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。