NSF PRFB FY23: Understanding the evolutionary importance and vectoring mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer within a parasitic plant system

这一行动为NSF 2023财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了支配基因组、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。共生描述了两个不同有机体之间的相互作用，对地球上的所有生命都很重要。寄生是共生的一种形式。这个项目将着眼于一种名为僵尸花的寄生植物，它依靠其他植物生存。它的目的是研究这种植物与在它们的自然栖息地为它们授粉的昆虫之间的关系。由于这些关系已经经历了数百万年的进化，很可能细菌和病毒等较小的生物也随着时间的推移而进化。细菌和病毒也可能有助于基因在植物之间的转移，甚至可能是在植物和授粉昆虫之间的转移。这项研究将结合实地工作和对细菌和病毒基因组的研究，以加深我们对基因如何在不同生物体之间移动的理解。此外，从这项研究中，将为学生设计科学活动，以了解更多的生态学知识。这项计划将包括：(1)对寄生植物系统(Rafflesiaceae-Tetrastigma)中的各种细菌和病毒群落进行全面的多尺度微生物调查；(2)确定和描述这种寄生植物系统内的水平基因转移事件；(3)设计微生物相互作用网络，以评估这种寄生植物系统内水平基因转移的结构模式；(4)为学生开发不同年龄层次的科学工作坊课程和外展活动，以发现生物学；以及(5)鼓励本科生获得实质性的独立科学研究经验。展望未来，该项目的发现可以更好地为生态模型提供信息，以预测微生物传播和水平基因转移事件将如何影响真核生物之间的其他共生关系。该系统旨在描述水平基因组转移的进化创新及其对微生物和真核生物宿主基因组组装的贡献，以及这如何最终告知生物表型和管理生态相互作用。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 2023, 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. Symbiosis, which describes the interaction between two different organisms, is important to all life on Earth. Parasitism is one form of symbiosis. This project will look at a parasitic plant called the corpse flower, which relies on other plants to survive. It aims to study the relationship between this plant and the insects that pollinate them in their natural habitat. Because these relationships have evolved over millions of years, it is likely that smaller organisms like bacteria and viruses have also evolved with them over time. Bacteria and viruses may also contribute to the transfer of genes among plants, and maybe even between plants and the insects that pollinate them. This study will combine field work and studies of the genomes of bacteria and viruses to add to our understanding of how genes move between different organisms. Also, from this research, science activities will be designed for students to learn more about ecology.This project will include (1) a comprehensive multi-scale microbial survey of the various bacterial and viral communities across a parasitic plant system (Rafflesiaceae-Tetrastigma); (2) identification and characterization of horizontal gene transfer events within this parasitic plant system; (3) design of microbial interaction networks to assess the structural patterns of horizontal gene transfer within this parasite plant system; (4) development of a science workshop curriculum and outreach activities at various age levels for students to discover biology; and (5) encouragement of substantial independent scientific research experiences for undergraduate students. Moving forward, the findings from this project can better inform ecological models to predict how microbial transmission and horizontal gene transfer events will influence other symbiotic relationships between eukaryotic organisms. This system aims to describe the evolutionary innovation of horizontal genome transfer and its contribution to genomic assembly in microbes and eukaryote hosts and how this ultimately informs organismal phenotypes and governs ecological interactions.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.