NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Uncovering the molecular mechanisms that govern cnidarian-algal symbiosis using forward genetic screens

该行动为2020财年美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后研究奖学金提供资金，扩大生物学中代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加在生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。该研究员将研究气候变化对刺胞动物-藻类共生关系的影响（刺胞动物包括珊瑚、水母和海葵）。这种共生关系对海洋生态系统的稳定至关重要。然而，由于海水温度升高，许多共生刺胞动物正在迅速死亡。拟议的工作将通过在细胞水平上研究这种关系背后的机制，试图了解如何在气候变化下保持这种关系。通过这项研究获得的知识将为保护这些动物提供数据，并帮助我们更好地了解这个生态系统。该奖项不仅允许培训来自代表性不足背景的研究员，还允许研究员通过在实验室环境中为来自代表性不足背景的学生提供指导和培训，从而增加他们的参与。该研究员提出的研究旨在了解刺胞动物与藻类共生的细胞机制。该研究员将使用前向遗传策略来探索建立珊瑚-藻类共生关系的必要基因。已知Breviolum minutum菌株SSB01能够与包括珊瑚、海葵和水母在内的许多刺胞动物形成共生。水母Cassiopea xamachana就是这样一种刺胞动物，它被用作研究与这种共生关系有关的问题的模型系统。本研究项目将建立一个SSB01的藻类突变体文库，然后评估它们在Cassiopea xamachana中的繁殖能力。C. xamachana水螅很容易在实验室环境中培养和大量生长，这将允许对与藻类突变体共生的稳定性进行高通量分析。因为与珊瑚一起工作可能会有问题，在细胞水平上开发这个模型系统可能使我们能够制定工程策略来对抗破坏性的珊瑚白化。可能的策略可能包括有针对性的基因改造或在实验室中进化抗白化的藻类。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 2020, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The fellow will be studying the impacts of climate change on the cnidarian-algal symbiotic relationship (cnidarians include corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones). This symbiotic relationship is crucial to the stability of marine ecosystems. However, due to increased sea temperatures, many symbiotic cnidarians are dying rapidly. The proposed work will seek to understand how to preserve this relationship under the changing climate by studying the mechanisms behind this relationship at a cellular level. The knowledge gained through this fellowship will provide data that will assist in the conservation efforts of these animals, and help us to better understand this ecosystem. This award will not only allow for the training of a fellow from an underrepresented background, it will also allow the fellow to increase participation of students from underrepresented backgrounds by providing them with mentorship and training in a laboratory setting. The research proposed by the fellow seeks to understand the cellular mechanisms underlying the cnidarian-algal symbiosis. The fellow will use a forward genetic strategy to probe the essential genes for establishing the coral-algal symbiosis. Symbiodiniaceae Breviolum minutum strain SSB01 is known to be able to form symbiosis with many cnidarians including corals, sea anemones and jellyfish. One such cnidarian that is used as a model system for researching questions related to this symbiosis is the jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana. For this research project a library of algal mutants of SSB01 will be generated and then evaluated for their ability to populate Cassiopea xamachana. C. xamachana polyps are easy to rear and grow in large numbers in a laboratory setting which will allow for high throughput analysis of the stability of the symbiosis with the algal mutants. Because working with corals can be problematic, the development of this model system on a cellular level may allow us to develop engineering strategies to counter devastating coral bleaching. Possible strategies might include targeted genetic modification or in-laboratory evolution of algae that are resistant to bleaching.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.