NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Uncovering the Genomic and Developmental Basis of Gliding Structure Evolution in Gecko Lizards

这一行动为NSF 2022财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，这些研究员将以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。空中运动，如滑翔，在生命之树上反复进化。滑行行为通常是由于帕塔吉亚的存在而促进的：这种柔软的膜状结构允许有机体减缓和控制它们通过空气下降的速度。尽管这些特征已经进化了无数次，但人们对它们的发育起源知之甚少。这项研究的核心目标是确定膜结构是如何形成的，比如在滑动生物体或病理学中发现的那些膜结构。这位研究员将描述壁虎的宫外膜发育，壁虎蜥蜴已经多次进化出滑动行为和膜。通过描述从组织水平到基因组水平的发育，这位研究员的目标是揭示形成滑动膜所需的基因和途径。这位研究员还将邀请主办机构的早期本科生参与研究，并通过密尔沃基公共博物馆等机构进行公共推广，从而接触到不同的受众。利用组织学、细胞凋亡分析和细胞增殖分析，该研究员将描述两种壁虎形成败育的组织组成和细胞活性，以确定趋同进化的壁虎败育是细胞和发育模式趋同还是分化的结果。为了确定导致败育的候选基因和调控途径，该研究员将使用RNAseq和ATACseq来描述胚胎败育形成的转录和调控格局。这位研究员将在实验中抑制候选基因和途径，以测试它们在败育发育中的功能。总而言之，这项研究为研究蜥蜴，特别是脊椎动物的膜形成奠定了基础。生成的形态和序列数据将公之于众。该奖学金还将促进对该研究员进行基因组和发育基因技术方面的培训，以及在进化发育生物学方面指导本科生和研究生。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。

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. Aerial locomotion, such as gliding, has evolved repeatedly across the tree of life. Gliding behavior is often facilitated by the presence of patagia: flappy, membranous structures which allow the organism to slow and control their descent through the air. Although these features have evolved numerous times, little is known about their developmental origins. The core aim of this fellowship is to determine how membranous structures, such as those found in gliding organisms or in pathologies, are formed. The Fellow will characterize patagium development in gecko lizards, which have evolved gliding behavior and membranes several times. By characterizing development from the tissue level to the genomic level, the Fellow aims to uncover genes and pathways required for the formation of gliding membranes. The Fellow will also reach diverse audiences by involving early undergraduate students at the hosting institution in research as well performing public outreach through institutions like the Milwaukee Public Museum.Using histology, apoptosis assays, and cell proliferation assays, the Fellow will characterize the tissue composition and cellular activity of developing patagia in two species of gecko to determine if convergently evolved gecko patagia are the result of convergent or divergent cellular and developmental patterns. To identify candidate genes and regulatory pathways which result in patagium outgrowth, the Fellow will characterize the transcriptional and regulatory landscape of embryonic patagium formation using RNAseq and ATACseq. The Fellow will experimentally inhibit candidate genes and pathways to test their function in patagium development. Collectively, this research provides a foundation for the study of membrane formation in lizards, specifically, and vertebrates, broadly. Generated morphological and sequence data will be made publicly available. This fellowship will also facilitate training the Fellow in genomic and developmental genetic techniques as well as mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in evolutionary developmental biology.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.