Doctoral Dissertation Research: Gut microbiome and response to environmental change

博士论文研究：肠道微生物组和对环境变化的反应

• 批准号: 2236061
• 负责人: Andrew Marshall
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2236061&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Gut; microbiome

The gastrointestinal (gut) microbiome is extremely responsive to the host’s environment and helps regulate host physiology. This doctoral dissertation research examines how the gut microbiome is likely an important component of physiological adaption in wild, non-human primates. Because the gut microbiome is tied to many different aspects of health throughout the life course, results from this study can provide valuable insights into how gut microbes facilitate host stress and immune response to help wild primates cope with changes in their environment. In addition, this project explores the impact of the gut microbiome on primate fitness and evolution. While conducting the dissertation project, the doctoral student participates in scientific outreach for K-12 students and gives talks about the importance of gut microbes for human and animal health. The doctoral student also mentors undergraduate students in fieldwork, laboratory, and data analysis methods including competitive binding assays and bioinformatics pipelines. This research investigates how gut microbes help regulate the stress and immune response in wild, white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator). The gut microbiome is extremely responsive to the host’s environment; this flexibility likely helps the host regulate their physiology to cope with changes in the environment. Evidence suggests stress and immune physiology are affected by gut microbiome composition, therefore, gut microbiome flexibility to the host’s environment is likely crucial for primate health and fitness. White-faced capuchins cope with drastic seasonal differences in resource levels (i.e. food, water, shade) which offers an opportunity to monitor concurrent changes in the gut microbiome, immune system, and stress physiology in response to environmental change. By combining gut microbiome sampling with non-invasive measures of stress (i.e. fecal glucocorticoids) and immune health (i.e. urinary neopterin), the doctoral student specifically evaluates 1) how the social and ecological environment affect capuchin gut microbiome composition, 2) how gut microbiome composition relates to the stress and immune response, and 3) whether gut microbiome composition and immune and stress physiology respond sequentially to environmental change. This research should provide insight into whether gut microbiome regulation of the stress and immune response is an evolved mechanism that helps primates respond to environmental change.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.

胃肠道（肠道）微生物组对宿主的环境非常有反应，并有助于调节宿主生理。这项博士学位论文研究考试是肠道微生物组如何成为野生，非人类隐私的身体适应的重要组成部分。由于肠道微生物组在整个生命过程中与健康的许多不同方面相关，因此这项研究的结果可以为肠道微生物如何促进宿主压力和免疫响应提供宝贵的见解，以帮助野外初级应对环境的变化。此外，该项目探讨了肠道微生物组对私人健身和进化的影响。在进行论文项目时，博士生参加了K-12学生的科学外展，并谈论了肠道微生物对人类和动物健康的重要性。博士生还指导本科生领域，实验室和数据分析方法，包括竞争性约束力分析和生物信息学管道。这项研究调查了肠道微生物如何帮助调节野生，白面尾卷（Cebus Mimitator）的应力和免疫响应。肠道微生物组对宿主的环境非常敏感。这种灵活性可能有助于宿主调节其生理学以应对环境的变化。有证据表明，压力和免疫响应受肠道微生物组组成的影响，因此，肠道微生物组对宿主环境的灵活性可能对初级健康和适应性至关重要。白头胶囊应对资源水平（即食物，水，阴影）的季节性差异，这提供了一个机会，可以监测肠道微生物组，免疫系统和压力生理的同时变化，以应对环境变化。 By combining gut microbiome sampling with non-invasive measures of stress (i.e. fecal glucocorticoids) and immunohealth (i.e. urinary neopterin), the doctoral student specifically evaluates 1) how the social and ecological environment affect capuchin gut microbiome composition, 2) how gut microbiome composition relates to the stress and immunoresponse, and 3) whether gut microbiome组成和免疫响应和压力生理学依次响应环境变化。这项研究应提供有关肠道微生物组对压力和免疫增强响应的调节是否是一种进化的机制，有助于对环境变化做出反应。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛影响的审查标准通过评估来获得的支持。