CAREER: Phylogeny of Ciliates in the Class Phyllopharyngea

马萨诸塞州北安普顿史密斯学院的Laura A.Katz博士获得了一份职业补助金，将在Phyllophyngea班探索纤毛虫原生动物之间的进化关系，并使用系统发育(进化)框架教授生物学原理，同时鼓励学生发展广泛适用的写作和口头陈述技能。纤毛虫是一组不同的微生物，自由生活在广泛的土壤、淡水、海洋栖息地以及与许多动物有关的环境中。与许多植物和动物不同，它们已经很好地理解了“家谱”，纤毛虫之间的进化关系才刚刚开始探索。分子生物学和基因组学方法的进步将使这些关系能够第一次被确定。这对于描述地球上微生物的生物多样性，以及了解有助于清洁水、净化空气和维持生物圈的复杂微生物群落的组成是至关重要的。叶咽虫是一类研究很少的纤毛虫；目前只有几个基于细胞结构的分类系统，而且几乎没有关于这些生物的遗传数据。这项建议将确定这一纲的成员，并分析叶咽亚纲之间的关系。为了准确地评估亲缘关系，将通过对四个基因(小亚基rRNA、α-微管蛋白、RNA聚合酶II的最大亚基和组蛋白H4)的DNA序列的比较分析来推断系谱。然后，将使用相同的标记来测试基于繁殖模式(萌芽)的叶咽菌亚纲之一的蔗糖菌分类的适当性。职业生涯规划还将使用进化框架在课堂和实验室教授生物学原理。这一全面的教育经验将为本科生提供一个基础的‘事实’，同时也激励他们开发和测试假设。测试纤毛虫之间进化关系的假设将使学生接触到不同的技术和理论。教育计划中的批判性思维以及书面和口头技能培训将为学生提供超越生物课和学校实验室工作的工具，为他们在美国社会的许多方面做出重要贡献做好准备。

DEB-0092908Laura A. Katz Dr. Laura Katz of Smith College (Northampton, MA) has been awarded a CAREER grant to explore evolutionary relationships among ciliate protozoa in the class Phyllopharyngea and teach principles in biology using a phylogenetic (evolutionary) framework, while encouraging students to develop broadly applicable skills in writing and oral presentation. Ciliates are a diverse group of microorganisms found free-living in a wide range of soil, freshwater, marine habitats as well as in association with numerous animals. Unlike many plants and animals, which have well understood "family trees," the evolutionary relationships among ciliates are only beginning to be explored. Advances in molecular biological and genomic methods will enable these relationships to be determined for the first time. This is essential for describing the biodiversity of microorganisms on earth, and for understanding the components of complex microbial communities that help to clean the water, purify the air, and sustain the biosphere. The phyllopharyngeans are a vastly understudied group of ciliates; only a handful of classification systems based on cell structure exist, and there are virtually no genetic data on these organisms. This proposal will identify members of this class and analyze relationships among the subclasses of phyllopharyngeans. To accurately assess relationships, genealogies will be inferred using comparative analyses of DNA sequences from four genes (small subunit rRNA, alpha-tubulin, the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II and histone H4). The same markers will then be used to test the appropriateness of the classification of suctorians, one of the subclasses of phyllopharyngean, based on the mode of reproduction (budding). The CAREER plan also will use an evolutionary framework to teach principles of biology in the classroom and laboratory. This comprehensive educational experience will provide undergraduate students with a basis in the 'facts' while also stimulating them to develop and test hypotheses. Testing hypotheses about the evolutionary relationships among ciliates will expose students to diverse techniques and theories. The critical thinking, and training in written and oral skills in the educational plan will provide students with tools that carry beyond biology classes and school laboratory work, preparing them to make important contribuions in many facets of American society.