CAREER: VIRAL SYMBIOSIS AND THE EVOLUTION OF BIOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY

微生物和它们的宿主参与了复杂的相互作用，影响了地球上几乎所有生命的进化和成功。相互作用可以是有益的(共生的)，也可以是有害的(致病的)。了解不同类型的相互作用是如何形成的，将促进对动物免疫和疾病的理解。该奖项调查了同样的病毒如何对黄蜂有益，但对苍蝇造成伤害。该奖项将有助于改善科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教育和教育工作者的发展。研究人员将与当地学校的教师密切合作，为他们的专业发展提供新的资源。将为不同的学生提供实验室研究的机会，并与本地学生和公众分享研究成果。来自完全不同生命领域的两个实体之间的共生进化是这个星球上生命进化中的一个重要现象。寄生蜂是一种幼虫，其幼虫以其他昆虫为食并杀死其他昆虫，是从几种不同类型的病毒中获取共生体的“天然实验室”。共生病毒向寄主传递基因，通过抑制寄主对黄蜂的免疫反应，直接使发育中的黄蜂受益。有必要研究自然界中这种现象的更多例子。研究独立病原体向共生体转变的遗传和表型基础将揭示使动物成功和稳定的有益病毒共生的关键变化。该项目将确定已转变为有益角色的病毒在汇聚进化中的共同线索和主要差异。研究的重点是DlEPV，它是由黄蜂物种Diachasmiforma long icaudata携带的昆虫病原病毒，在苍蝇中是致病的，但对黄蜂没有负面影响。这项研究将结合实验和基因组学技术，1)表征DlEPV在黄蜂和苍蝇之间的致病机制，2)确定控制病毒在黄蜂中复制的机制，以及3)确定促进病毒在苍蝇中寄生的机制。该奖项的教育和推广部分将改善科学教育，提高科学素养。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。

Microbes and their hosts engage in complex interactions that have influenced the evolution and success of almost all life on earth. Interactions can be both beneficial (symbiotic) or harmful (pathogenic). Understanding how different types of interactions are formed will advance understanding of animal immunity and disease. This award investigates how the same virus is beneficial to wasps but causes harm to flies. This award will help in improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and educator development. Researchers will work closely with teachers in local schools and provide a new resource for their professional development. Laboratory research opportunities will be provided to diverse students and results shared with local students and the public. The evolution of symbiosis between two entities from completely different domains of life is a phenomenon of major importance in the evolution of life on this planet. Parasitoid wasps are insects whose young feed upon and kill other insects and are a "natural laboratory" for the acquisition of symbionts from several different types of viruses. Symbiotic viruses deliver to hosts genes that directly benefit developing wasps by suppressing the host's immune response against the wasps. There is a need to examine more examples of this phenomenon in nature. Studying genetic and phenotypic bases of independent pathogen-to-symbiont transitions will reveal key changes that enable successful and stable beneficial viral symbioses of animals. This project will identify common threads and key differences in the convergent evolution of viruses that have transitioned to a beneficial role. The research focus is on DlEPV, the entomopoxvirus carried by the wasp species Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, which is pathogenic in flies, yet has no negative effects upon wasps. This research will combine experimental and genomics techniques to 1) characterize DlEPV's pathogenic mechanisms between wasps and flies, 2) determine mechanisms that control viral replication in wasps, and 3) determine mechanisms that promote viral parasitism in flies. The educational and outreach components of the award will improve science education and increase scientific literacy.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.