NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Genomic and Metagenomic Mechanisms of flood Tolerance in Maize and Tripsacum dactyloides

这项行动为2023财年的NSF植物基因组博士后生物学研究奖学金提供资金。该研究金支持研究员在东道实验室的研究和培训计划，研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。这个奖学金的研究和培训计划的标题是Joel F. Swift是“玉米和Tripsacum daclidides耐涝性的基因组和宏基因组机制”，该研究金的主办机构是堪萨斯大学，赞助科学家是Maggie R.瓦格纳.随着全球气候的变化，洪水事件变得越来越频繁和严重。虽然水是植物的基本需求，但过多的水会产生严重的后果。当水淹时，基本的根功能，如气体扩散急剧下降。这会导致缺氧，乙烯（一种关键的应激激素）的积累，最终导致植物死亡。许多植物物种通过产生根通气组织来科普，这是一种有助于气体扩散的海绵组织。有些植物在胁迫条件下持续形成通气组织，而有些植物在胁迫条件下只形成通气组织。乙烯作为两种模式的刺激，但形成的机制不同。根相关微生物可以分解乙烯前体，从而改变乙烯水平，并可能有助于植物适应洪水胁迫。这项研究将探索植物遗传学，根系生理学和微生物组之间的联系，以了解它们对植物洪水响应的影响。这将提供关键信息，以协助培育抗洪水作物。研究人员将发展在数量遗传学，植物生理学和解剖分析的专业知识。作为一名社区学院毕业生，乔尔将参与并指导来自主办机构和当地社区学院的学生;寻求进一步促进STEM的多样性，并从基础到应用生物学的角度灌输对植物科学职业的兴趣。玉米（Zea mays）是一种全球重要的作物，在北美温带地区广泛种植。与玉米最近的温带亲缘植物是Tripsacum dacquitides（gamagrass）。玉米（胁迫诱导）和gamagrass（组成型）代表了通气组织生产策略的范围。该项目将利用这些物种作为一个比较系统，以研究洪水胁迫下种内和种间根系性状变化对微生物组的影响。将使用几种玉米基因型来建立洪水响应的时间基线。玉米基因表达，元素组成和根微生物组组成将被测量之前，期间和之后从水涝和淹没恢复。根表型变异将在Gamagrass多样性小组中进行量化。根基因表达的加入与对照表现在淹水下进行比较，重点是乙烯生物合成的差异转录调控。将收集来自涝渍实验的调理土壤，并重新接种到新的幼苗上，以测试土壤微生物群中根驱动的变化是否会影响玉米和gamagrass的表型和适应性。结果将通过会议报告、在开放获取期刊上发表以及将序列数据和代码存入公共存储库（包括NCBI Short Read Archive、GitHub和Zenodo）来传播。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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 Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2023. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Joel F. Swift is "Genomic and metagenomic mechanisms of flood tolerance in maize and Tripsacum dactyloides" The host institution for the fellowship is the University of Kansas and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Maggie R. Wagner.As the global climate changes, flood events are becoming more frequent and severe. While water is a basic requirement for plants, too much can have dramatic consequences. When flooded, fundamental root functions like gas diffusion decline dramatically. This leads to oxygen starvation, the buildup of ethylene (a key stress hormone), and eventually plant death. Many plant species cope by producing root aerenchyma, a spongy tissue that assists in gas diffusion. Some species continuously form aerenchyma, while other species only form aerenchyma under stress. Ethylene acts as the stimulus for both modes, but the mechanisms of formation differ. Root-associated microorganisms can break down ethylene precursors, which modifies ethylene levels, and potentially contributes to plant flood stress adaptation. This research will explore the links between plant genetics, root physiology, and the microbiome to understand their effects on plant flood responses. This will provide key information to assist in breeding flood-resilient crops. The researcher will develop expertise in quantitative genetics, plant physiology, and anatomical analysis. As a community college graduate, Joel will engage and mentor students from the host institution and local community colleges; seeking to further promote diversity in STEM and instill an interest in plant science careers, from the basic to applied biological perspectives. Zea mays (corn or maize) is a globally important crop that is cultivated widely across temperate North America. Corn’s closest temperate relative is Tripsacum dactyloides (gamagrass). Corn (stress-induced) and gamagrass (constitutive) represent the spectrum of aerenchyma production strategies. This project will utilize these species as a comparative system for examining the effects of intra- and inter-specific root trait variation on the microbiome under flood stress. Several corn genotypes will be used to establish a temporal baseline for flood responses. Corn gene expression, elemental composition, and root microbiome composition will be measured before, during, and after recovery from waterlogging and submergence. Root phenotypic variation will be quantified across a gamagrass diversity panel. Root gene expression of accessions with contrasting performance under waterlogging will be compared, with a focus on the differential transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthesis. Conditioned soils from waterlogging experiments will be collected and reinoculated onto new seedlings to test whether root-driven changes in the soil microbiota affect corn and gamagrass phenotypes and fitness in a contemporary flood. Results will be disseminated via conference presentations, publication in open-access journals, and by depositing sequence data and code into public repositories including the NCBI Short Read Archive, GitHub, and Zenodo.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.