Environmental and Genetic Factors Governing Microbial Community Diversity

项目概要-项目4：JI，Joanne Yew 不同个体的微生物群落具有高度多样性和独特的组成， 这种情况被认为是食物和药物代谢中人际差异的基础， 易患一系列疾病，包括肥胖症和免疫系统紊乱。的长期目标 建议的研究是了解改变组成的环境和遗传因素， 微生物群落及其对人类健康和生理的影响。为了研究这种复杂的动力学， 将使用简单的模型系统，其具有相对简单的微生物组组成， 实验操作夏威夷果蝇（果渣蝇）进化枝由近1000种不同的 这些物种是从单一的祖先物种进化而来的，它们以高度多样化的植物为食， 夏威夷。有趣的是，许多物种表现出与单一寄主植物分支的终身联系， 这种独特的特征提供了一个强有力的机会，研究如何 微生物组通过环境（例如，饮食）和遗传因素，以及 饮食干扰改变宿主微生物组组成并损害健康。这项提案将考验 微生物多样性假说：一种生物体的微生物多样性主要受环境而非遗传因素控制的假说 因素，并从饮食来源的微生物的选择性掺入赋予显着的好处， 有机体的发育和健康。拟议研究的具体目标是（一）表征 夏威夷果蝇自然种群中微生物群落的组成及其寄主植物; (ii)确定饮食对宿主微生物组成的影响以及饮食获得性微生物的贡献 宿主生理学;和（iii）确定遗传背景对宿主微生物组成的影响。 这些目标将通过使用下一代测序技术来分析微生物群落， 饮食微生物和生理特征的测量，如脂质，寿命和生育能力。

Project Summary – PROJECT 4: JI, Joanne Yew The microbial communities of different individuals exhibit highly diverse and distinctive compositions, a situation that is believed to underlie interpersonal differences in the metabolism of foods and drugs and susceptibility to a range of diseases, including obesity and immune disorders. The long-term objectives of the proposed research are to understand the environmental and genetic factors that change the composition of the microbial community and the ensuing effects on human health and physiology. To study this complex dynamic, a simple model system will be used, with a relatively simple microbiome composition that is amenable to experimental manipulation. The Hawaiian Drosophila (pomace fly) clade consists of nearly 1000 different species that have evolved from a single ancestral species to live on highly diverse plant diets throughout Hawaii. Intriguingly, many of the species exhibit life-long affiliation with a single host plant clade and the distinct microbial communities associated with it. This unique feature provides a powerful opportunity to examine how the microbiome is shaped by the interplay of environmental (e.g., dietary) and genetic factors, and whether dietary perturbation alters host microbiome composition and compromises health. This proposal will test the hypothesis that an organism's microbial diversity is largely governed by environmental rather than genetic factors, and the selective incorporation of microbes from dietary sources confers significant benefits for the organism's development and health. The specific aims of the proposed research are to (i) characterize the composition of microbial communities in natural populations of Hawaiian Drosophila spp. and their host plants; (ii) determine the influence of diet on host microbial composition and the contribution of diet-acquired microbes to host physiology; and (iii) determine the influence of genetic background on host microbial composition. These aims will be achieved using next-generation sequencing to profile microbe communities, manipulation of dietary microbes, and measurements of physiological features such as lipids, lifespan, and fertility.