NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2022: The genetic and molecular rules of trait expression

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。本研究旨在了解和识别男女特质表达的“规律”。在整个动物界，雄性和雌性之间的差异程度是非常不同的。尽管如此，表达这些男性/女性差异的遗传和分子过程在很大程度上仍然是个谜。在这个项目中，这位研究员将研究一种独特的能够解决这些问题的迷人物种--白颈雅各蜂鸟(Florisuga Mellivora)。白颈雅各宾雄鸟的肤色与大多数雌鸟非常不同，但20%的雌鸟的肤色与雄鸟相似，与野外的雄鸟没有什么区别。这些差异都在同一物种中表达，使研究人员能够在控制其他因素的同时，检测出男性/女性差异背后的遗传因素。该项目将在美国和巴拿马进行，旨在建立不同文化背景的科学家之间的国际合作。通过在尖端基因组和显微技术方面的培训，该研究金将形成一个理解男性/女性多样性、着色和进化生物学的综合框架。为了确定男性/女性二态的进化规则，该项目将使用一个跨越基因组、发育和生物组织表型水平的研究框架。首先，这位研究员将通过进行全基因组关联研究来测试女性的多态是否与遗传变异有关。其次，由于基因表达和调控最终决定了这些表型的产生，因此将使用转录组学来识别与羽毛着色相关的基因。通过收集和分析羽毛生长过程中的羽毛，这位研究员将区分男性和女性个体中与颜色相关的基因。第三，生物体经常使用肉眼看不到的微小结构来产生颜色，但令人惊讶的是，人们对基因调节这些结构变异的过程知之甚少。这位研究员将使用电子显微镜技术来识别雄性和雌性羽毛之间和内部的结构差异，从而将基因组与表型联系起来。在白颈雅各宾的启发下，该项目还将培养空间，为来自不同背景的人扩大科学欢迎的地方。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. This research seeks to understand and identify the “rules” of male/female trait expression. Across the animal kingdom, the degree to which males and females differ from each other is profoundly variable. Despite this, the genetic and molecular processes by which these male/female differences are expressed remain largely mysterious. In this project, the fellow will study a fascinating species that is uniquely able to address these questions, the white-necked jacobin hummingbird (Florisuga mellivora). White-necked jacobin males have very different coloration from most females, yet 20% of females are male-like in coloration and are indistinguishable from males in the field. These differences are both expressed in the same species, allowing the fellow to detect the genetic factors underlying male/female difference while controlling for other factors. The project will take place in both the United States and Panama, aiming to build an international collaboration between scientists from diverse cultural backgrounds. By training the fellow in cutting-edge genomic and microscopy techniques, this fellowship will forge an integrative framework for understanding male/female diversity, coloration, and evolutionary biology.To identify the evolutionary rules of male/female dimorphism the project will use an investigative framework that spans genomic, developmental, and phenotypic levels of biological organization. First, the fellow will test whether the female polymorphism is linked to genetic variation by performing a genome-wide association study. Second, because gene expression and regulation are ultimately responsible for producing these phenotypes, transcriptomics will be used to identify genes associated with feather coloration. By collecting and analyzing feathers during their growth, the fellow will distinguish genes associated with color in male vs. female individuals. Third, organisms often use tiny structures invisible to the human eye to produce coloration, yet surprisingly little is known about the process by which genes regulate variation of these structures. The fellow will use electron microscopy techniques to identify the structures that vary across and within males and female feathers, thereby connecting genome to phenotype. Inspired by the white-necked jacobin, this project will also cultivate spaces to expand a welcoming place in science for people from a diversity of backgrounds.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.