NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Diet and the microbiome as drivers of host tolerance and resistance to parasites

2020 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：饮食和微生物组作为宿主耐受性和寄生虫抵抗力的驱动因素

• 批准号: 2010979
• 负责人: Ashley Love
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Love, Ashley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-02-01 至 2024-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2010979&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. This research investigates how diet and the gut microbiome (microbes that live and play essential roles in the digestive track of animals) influences host defenses against parasites. Many factors can influence the diet of wildlife, including shifts in nutritional resources due to seasonality, habitat alteration, and supplemental feeding by humans. Shifts in dietary nutrients, such as proteins and fats, can affect the immune system and influence an animal’s ability to defend against parasites. The effects of diet on immunity could be mediated by changes in the composition and function of the gut microbiome. The goal of this research is to determine how dietary nutrients and the gut microbiome affect interactions between box-nesting eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and the parasitic nest fly (Protocalliphora sialia). This research will shed light on how nutritional resources influence host immunity and will yield predictive insight into how organisms and their parasites will respond to environmental shifts in diet. The project will also promote the education of high school and undergraduate students through training in research and professional development.Box-nesting birds offer an ideal system to explore relationships between nutrition, immunity, gut microflora, and parasitism as nests are commonly parasitized and parasite load can be non-invasively quantified through the collection of nests after offspring fledge. This system also offers strong experimental capabilities in a field setting, where nestling diet can be manipulated by feeding nestlings and dosing offspring with an oral antibiotic can experimentally disrupt nestling gut microflora. Using a factorial design, diet macronutrient content and the gut microbiome will be manipulated in nestling bluebirds and then nestling immunity, gut microflora, and parasite abundance will be characterized. Additionally, the research will determine whether gut symbionts produce immune-modulatory metabolites that shape host gene expression and host-parasite interactions. The project will facilitate the fellow’s training and growth in transcriptomics and metabolomics. The proposed work will also include broader impacts through the direct involvement of high school and undergraduate mentees in data collection, public educational programs, and the development of K-12 activities related to the research.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.

该行动为2020财年生物学的NSF博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，该研究综合研究研究了有关基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生活规则。奖学金支持对研究员的研究和培训，这些研究和培训将以创新的方式为生活规则做出贡献。这项研究调查了饮食和肠道微生物组（在动物的消化轨迹中生存和发挥基本作用的微生物）如何影响宿主防御寄生虫。许多因素会影响野生动植物的饮食，包括由于季节性改变而导致营养资源的转移，人类的补充喂养。饮食营养素（例如蛋白质和脂肪）的转变会影响免疫系统，并影响动物防御寄生虫的能力。饮食对免疫力的影响可以通过肠道微生物组的组成和功能的变化来介导。这项研究的目的是确定饮食中的饮食营养素和肠道微生物组如何影响盒子纽扣东部蓝鸟（Sialia sialis）和寄生虫蝇（Protocalliphoraphora sialia）之间的相互作用。这项研究将阐明营养资源如何影响宿主的免疫力，并将对生物体及其寄生虫如何应对饮食环境转变做出反应的预测见解。该项目还将通过研究和专业开发的培训来促进高中和本科生的教育。盒巢鸟类为探索营养，免疫力，肠道菌群和寄生虫之间的关系提供了理想的系统，因为巢通常被寄生和寄生虫负荷，并且可以通过收集巢穴后的巢穴收集来量化。该系统还在现场设置中提供了强大的实验能力，可以通过饲养雏鸟和用口服抗生素给后代来操纵雏鸟饮食可以在实验中破坏雏鸟肠肠菌群。使用阶乘设计，将在雏鸟蓝鸟中操纵饮食大量营养素含量和肠道微生物组，然后将雏鸟免疫学，肠道微生物和寄生虫抽象来表征。此外，研究将确定肠道符号是否产生了塑造宿主基因表达和宿主寄生虫相互作用的免疫调节代谢产物。该项目将促进同伴在转录组学和代谢组学方面的培训和增长。拟议的工作还将包括通过直接参与高中和本科生参与数据收集，公共教育计划以及与研究相关的K-12活动的开发的更广泛影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查审查标准来通过评估来通过评估来支持的。