NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Form and Function of a water specialist orb weaver: From Molecules to Biomechanics

NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：水专家球体编织者的形式和功能：从分子到生物力学

• 批准号: 2208904
• 负责人: Angela Alicea-Serrano
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Alicea-Serrano, Angela M
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2208904&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; Form

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Spiders build webs using different silk types with distinct functionalities, including strong and tough dragline silk to intercept and stop prey, reusable glue that sticks to prey, and durable attachment disks that anchor silk to substrates. Despite great interest in these properties, spider silk performance, especially in the context of web architecture, is well-studied in few species. Atypical webs in challenging habitats help to reveal how natural selection has modified silks for different applications. This project will advance knowledge of the functional links between silk structure, mechanics and evolutionary ecology, and will expand the range of possible silk applications from single threads to thread networks, as well as glues that could even stick to water surfaces. This study will also prepare the fellow for an independent research career, recruit undergraduate students from underrepresented groups, and will make spider silk research widely accessible to public audiences. Life at the air-water interface is a fundamental challenge for small animals. The spider Wendilgarda clara uses an unusual, reduced, horizontal orb web anchored to the water surface of streams to catch floating prey. Hunting at the water interface potentially requires the evolution of unique architecture and chemistry for attachment discs anchoring to water and the evolution of novel proteins to enable prey capture using single strands of silk in webs. The objectives of this project are: (1) to determine how Wengilgarda webs attach to water through silk chemistry, spigot morphology, and behavior; (2) to understand how silk material properties and web shape interact during prey capture; and (3) to characterize the structure and evolution of Wendilgarda web silk proteins. The work integrates cutting-edge molecular and biomechanics tools to link silk performance from proteins to whole webs in nature. The project broadens participation by recruiting undergraduates from local universities in Massachusetts and Ohio, as well as undergraduate and high school students from public schools in Puerto Rico. Field work, project progress and results will be disseminated by social media and will also promote biomaterial development, since attachment disc silk shows great potential for developing strong, robust superglues that could stick to water surfaces.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.

这项行动资助了2022财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大了生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。该研究金支持研究员的一项研究和培训计划，该计划将增加在生物学领域代表性不足的群体的参与。蜘蛛用不同种类的丝来织网，这些丝具有不同的功能，包括用来拦截和阻止猎物的坚韧的拖丝，粘在猎物上的可重复使用的胶水，以及将丝锚在基底上的耐用的附着盘。尽管对这些特性有很大的兴趣，但蜘蛛丝的性能，特别是在网络架构的背景下，在少数物种中得到了很好的研究。在具有挑战性的栖息地中的非典型网有助于揭示自然选择如何改变丝绸以适应不同的应用。该项目将推进对蚕丝结构、力学和进化生态学之间功能联系的认识，并将扩大蚕丝可能的应用范围，从单线到线网络，以及甚至可以粘在水面上的胶水。这项研究还将为研究员的独立研究生涯做好准备，从代表性不足的群体中招募本科生，并将使公众广泛接触蜘蛛丝研究。 生活在空气-水界面是小动物的基本挑战。蜘蛛Wendilgarda clara使用一种不寻常的，缩小的，水平的圆网锚定在溪流的水面上捕捉漂浮的猎物。在水界面上狩猎可能需要进化独特的结构和化学，用于锚定到水的附着盘，以及进化新的蛋白质，以使猎物能够使用网中的单链丝捕获。该项目的目标是：（1）通过丝的化学性质、形态学和行为来确定Wengilgarda网如何附着在水上;（2）了解在捕获猎物过程中丝的材料性质和网的形状如何相互作用;（3）表征Wendilgarda网丝蛋白的结构和进化。这项工作整合了尖端的分子和生物力学工具，将自然界中从蛋白质到整个网络的丝绸性能联系起来。该项目扩大了参与范围，从马萨诸塞州和俄亥俄州当地大学招收本科生，并从波多黎各公立学校招收本科生和高中生。现场工作，项目进展和结果将通过社交媒体传播，也将促进生物材料的发展，因为附着盘丝显示出巨大的潜力，开发强大，坚固的超级胶水，可以坚持水表面。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得支持的评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。