CAREER: Deciphering Mechanisms Underlying Chemical Adaptation in Insects

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援法案（公法117-2）资助。植物和昆虫之间的“军备竞赛”推动了它们数亿年的共同进化。植物一旦被食草动物破坏，就会释放出被称为食草动物诱导的植物挥发物（HIPVs）的挥发性有机化合物。HIPV在昆虫-植物相互作用中起着重要作用，但关于食草动物如何调节和适应植物HIPV的知识仍然很缺乏。本CAREER计划的研究目标是了解食草动物适应植物HIPV的潜在机制，试图将昆虫嗅觉与对农药的进化适应性联系起来，使用食草性科罗拉多马铃薯甲虫及其宿主植物马铃薯作为研究系统。该项目的一个关键创新是，它将揭示昆虫-植物相互作用和农药抗性进化的以前未知的机制。该项目的跨学科性质为来自不同背景的学生，特别是代表性不足的群体提供了一个独特的教育平台。该项目的三个教育目标是：（1）开发一个创新的，动手实验为基础的课程，包括现代分子技术;（2）通过现有的环境导师计划，吸引来自宾夕法尼亚州立大学的高中生和本科生参与昆虫科学研究;以及（3）在帕斯托农业博物馆制定和实施“昆虫赢”多代家庭计划，以吸引年轻人及其家庭对科学的兴趣。这些教育活动将使更大和更多样化的群体接触昆虫科学，并使基础研究更具包容性。尽管已知HIPV在昆虫-植物相互作用中的作用，但仍不清楚哪些机制有助于昆虫适应这些挥发性化合物。参与HIPV的快速触角感觉处理的酶可能被其他过程如异生质解毒所吸收。为了验证这一假设，研究旨在整合强大的结构生物学，功能基因组学，酶学和昆虫行为学方法，以功能解剖和了解酶在昆虫嗅觉和解毒途径中的作用。此外，综合教育计划将确保积极的学习成果，让学生参与昆虫学和生物学研究，提高学生的批判性思维和解决问题的能力，并为下一代年轻科学家提供先进的工具和技术沿着基础知识。这项工作将大大提高我们对昆虫-植物相互作用的生理机制和昆虫的异生适应的理解。该项目的完成可能最终有助于开发无抗性杀虫剂，用于精确的害虫控制和有益昆虫保护。该奖项反映了NSF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 award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The “arms race” between plants and insects has driven their coevolution for hundreds of millions of years. Once damaged by herbivores, plants release induced volatile organic compounds called herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). It has been well documented that HIPVs play fundamental roles in insect-plant interactions, but knowledge of how herbivores adjust and adapt to plant HIPVs remains largely absent. The research objective of this CAREER proposal is to understand the mechanisms underlying herbivores’ adaptation to plant HIPVs, attempting to link insect olfaction with evolutionary resilience to pesticides, using the herbivorous Colorado potato beetle and its host plant, potato, as a study system. A key innovation in this project is that it will uncover previously uncharacterized mechanisms of insect-plant interactions and evolution of pesticide resistance. The interdisciplinary nature of this project provides a unique educational platform for students from diverse backgrounds, especially underrepresented groups. Three educational goals of the project are to: (1) develop an innovative, hands-on experiment-based course that includes modern molecular techniques; (2) engage underrepresented students from high schools and undergraduates at Penn State in insect science research through an existing EnvironMentors program; and (3) develop and deliver the “Bugs Win” multigenerational family program at the Pasto Agricultural Museum to interest youth and their families in science. These educational activities will expose larger and more diverse groups to insect science and should make basic research more inclusive. Despite the known roles of HIPVs in insect-plant interactions, it remains unclear which mechanisms assist insects in adapting to these volatile compounds. The enzymes involved in rapid antennal sensory processing of HIPVs may be co-opted by other processes such as xenobiotic detoxification. To test this hypothesis, research is designed to integrate powerful structural biology, functional genomics, enzymology, and insect behavior approaches to functionally dissect and understand the roles of enzymes in insect olfaction and detoxification pathways. In addition, the integrated education program will ensure active learning outcomes, engage students in Entomology and Biology research, enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and prepare the next generation of young scientists with advanced tools and techniques along with fundamental knowledge. This work will significantly enhance our understanding of physiological mechanisms of insect-plant interactions and of xenobiotic adaptation in insects. Completion of this project may ultimately contribute to the development of resistance-free pesticides for precision pest control and beneficial insect conservation.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.