NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2012

本行动资助2012财年国家植物基因组计划博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持在宿主实验室的研究和培训计划，使研究员专注于植物基因组学的研究，重点是数量遗传学，现代育种方法和生物信息学。凯瑟琳·m·格林汉姆的研究和培训计划的标题是“在作物植物芸苔中，昼夜节律时钟和对干旱的反应交叉点的全球基因表达变化的计算分析”。该奖学金的主办机构是达特茅斯学院（新罕布什尔州），赞助科学家是c.r obertson McClung博士。植物对干旱的反应包括许多生理和基因表达的变化。生物钟调节对干旱作出反应的生理和基因表达过程，以及反应的幅度。了解昼夜节律调节将使我们能够修改缺水后信号事件的复杂网络。在本项目中，我们将利用RNAseq技术测定油菜重组自交系（Brassica rapa recombinant inbred lines, RILs）群体在缺水和缺水条件下的全球基因表达变化。这些结果，连同之前的周期长度测量，将用于确定表达数量性状位点（eQTL）有助于水利用效率的昼夜节律调节。此外，网络分析将用于揭示对干旱反应重要的表达模块。这些数据将增强油菜基因组的注释和功能分析，这些分析应该普遍适用于从模式生物到重要作物物种的翻译。培训目标包括生物信息学、数量遗传学和植物基因组学。更广泛的影响包括能力建设和为美国学生提供高级培训，以便他们从事植物改良和相关科学（如生理学、数量遗传学和计算生物学）的跨学科研究。外展活动包括参与现有的教育外展计划，该计划涉及开发资源，以利用B. rapa加强K12和本科课程。

This action funds a National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2012. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow to focus their studies in plant genomics with an emphasis on quantitative genetics, modern breeding approaches, and bioinformatics. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Kathleen M. Greenham is "Computation analysis of global gene expression changes at the intersect of the circadian clock and the response to drought in the crop plant Brassica rapa". The host institution for the fellowship is Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. C. Robertson McClung.The plant drought response includes numerous physiological and gene expression changes. The circadian clock regulates both the physiological and gene expression processes that respond to drought, as well as the magnitude of the response. Understanding the circadian regulation will enable us to modify this complex network of signaling events following water deficiency. In this project, global gene expression changes in response to drought, measured by RNAseq, will be determined in a population of Brassica rapa recombinant inbred lines (RILs) under water sufficient and deficient conditions. These results, along with previous measurements of period length, will be used to identify expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) contributing to the circadian regulation of water use efficiency. In addition, a network analysis will be used to uncover expression modules important for the drought response. The data will enhance the annotation and functional analysis of the Brassica genome and these analyses should be generally applicable in the translation from model organisms to important crop species.Training objectives include bioinformatics, quantitative genetics and plant genomics. Broader impacts include capacity-building and advanced training for students from the United States to engage in interdisciplinary research in plant improvement and associated sciences such as physiology, quantitative genetics, and computational biology. Outreach activities include participation in an existing educational outreach program that involves developing resources for enhancing K12 and undergraduate programs using B. rapa.