NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Molecular dynamics of assembly of the cnidarian stinging cell organelle

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：刺胞动物刺细胞细胞器组装的分子动力学

• 批准号: 2208988
• 负责人: Anna Klompen
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Klompen, Anna ML
• 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: 2023-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2208988&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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. Cells are typically described as the smallest unit or “building blocks” of biology, but cells often display sophisticated internal structures that enable specialized functions. Broadly, this research aims to address how cells build themselves by determining the processes involved in the assembly of highly complex features. Specifically, this study will investigate the elaborate internal structures of stinging cells, explosive cells used by cnidarians (jellyfish, sea anemones, corals) in prey-capture and defense. The focus will be how different stinging cell types are assembled in the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. By teasing apart the precise mechanisms that shape the internal features of stinging cells, this project will lend to a better understanding of how complexity can arise and evolve in living systems. Furthermore, the project will enable complementary training in mentorship of undergraduates in the laboratory, public engagement across multiple venues, and implementation of science communication workshops for early-career researchers.The self-organizational processes that result in complex cellular architecture includes both self-assembling protein-protein interactions and genomic regulation through altered gene expression. To establish a framework for how these molecular interactions shape intricate cellular features, this project will use the assembly of nematocysts as a model system. Nematocysts are cnidarian-specific projectile organelles housed in stinging cells that display diverse morphological types, yet they retain a conserved set of structural components that form specific subcellular features (e.g. barbs, spines, tubule). The focus of this research will be to disentangle the molecular and regulatory dynamics that contribute to the production of distinct subcellular features in different nematocyst types by integrating proteomics and protein-protein interaction network analyses, single-cell sequencing, high-resolution imaging, and functional genomic tools. While the project predominantly utilizes the sea anemone Nematostella, the coral Montipora will also be studied to compare the self-organizing processes of similar nematocyst types in two species. This project will include mentoring undergraduates in independent research as well as engaging with the public through an educational social media campaign and in-person community events. Science communication workshops will be designed and conducted at the host institution to train early-career researchers on how to communicate basic research to a K-12 audience.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.

该行动资助了2022财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，即调查基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。细胞通常被描述为生物学的最小单位或“积木”，但细胞通常显示出复杂的内部结构，使专门的功能。从广义上讲，这项研究旨在通过确定高度复杂特征的组装过程来解决细胞如何构建自己。具体而言，本研究将调查刺细胞的复杂内部结构，刺胞动物（水母，海葵，珊瑚）在捕食和防御中使用的爆炸细胞。重点将是如何不同的刺细胞类型组装在模型海葵Nematostella vectensis。通过梳理形成刺细胞内部特征的精确机制，该项目将有助于更好地理解复杂性如何在生命系统中产生和进化。此外，该项目还将在实验室中对本科生进行导师制的补充培训，在多个场所进行公众参与，并为早期职业研究人员举办科学交流研讨会。导致复杂细胞结构的自组织过程包括自组装蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用和通过改变基因表达进行的基因组调控。为了建立一个框架，这些分子相互作用如何塑造复杂的细胞特征，该项目将使用组装的包囊作为模型系统。线虫囊是刺胞动物特有的抛射体细胞器，它们位于刺细胞中，具有不同的形态类型，但它们保留了一组保守的结构成分，形成特定的亚细胞特征（例如倒钩，刺，小管）。这项研究的重点将是解开分子和调控动力学，有助于生产不同的亚细胞功能，在不同的包囊类型，通过整合蛋白质组学和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络分析，单细胞测序，高分辨率成像和功能基因组工具。虽然该项目主要利用海葵Nematostella，但也将研究珊瑚Montipora，以比较两个物种中相似的珊瑚囊类型的自组织过程。该项目将包括指导独立研究的本科生，以及通过教育社交媒体活动和面对面的社区活动与公众接触。科学交流研讨会将在主办机构设计和进行，以培训早期职业研究人员如何将基础研究传达给K-12观众。该奖项反映了NSF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。