Collaborative Research: Genetic Architecture of Exploration in Drosophila

合作研究：果蝇探索的遗传结构

基本信息

批准号：
2135305
负责人：
Gregg Roman
金额：
$ 75万
依托单位：
University of Mississippi
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2022-04-01 至 2025-03-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2135305&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research Genetic Architecture Exploration

项目摘要

Non-Technical ParagraphNeophilia is the attraction to novel stimuli, and it varies strongly within and between species. Higher levels of neophilia are believed to lead to greater behavioral flexibility, effecting an animal’s ability to adapt to changes in their environments and to invade new ecosystems successfully. The proposed work will focus on identifying genes and neurons responsible for neophilia. This work will use novel arena exploration assays with varied and integrated genetic approaches. In Drosophila melanogaster, mutant and transgenic lines will be used to determine the requirements of dopamine signaling within the brain to initiate neophilic exploration. A new genetic mapping population generated from the sister species of Drosophila will also be used to map genetic variants involved in the differences in exploratory behaviors found between these two closely related species. These two approaches will help explain why enormous differences in neophilic exploration are found in insect species. This understanding will likely transcend insects and shed light on neophilia in other species. The work will further generate several lasting societal benefits, including the generation of a novel mapping population that can be used to identify important genetic variants controlling many complex physiology and behavior responses. These lineages will be broadly distributed to investigators. The proposed experiments are highly accessible to undergraduate researchers and will be used to train students at both the University of Mississippi and the University of Houston Downtown, many from underserved groups, in scientific inquiry and in the genetic approaches to neuroscience and behavior. Technical ParagraphUnderstanding the molecular and neural basis for neophilia is required to explain the broad inter- and intraspecific variation in this behavioral trait. The goal of this proposal is to understand how neophilia is encoded in the Drosophila nervous system, including an identification of the molecules and neural circuits responsible for recognizing novel stimuli and inducing arousal in the animal. Our central hypothesis is that during the evolution of food specialization in Drosophila species, genetic variants that reduced neophilia were selected for, resulting in a loss of specific exploration; dopamine signaling is also likely involved. Novel open field exploration of Drosophila species combined with varied genetic approaches will be used to identify the genetic variants responsible for differences in novelty-seeking behavior. Novel open field arenas have long been used to measure trait and state-dependent changes in exploration in various laboratory species. Interestingly, Drosophila simulans, an ecological generalist, actively explores novel arenas, while its sister species and ecological specialist, Drosophila sechellia, does not. A population of recombinant inbred lineages generated from these Drosophila sister species will be used to identify the quantitative trait loci responsible for the evolved differences in neophilia found between these species. Moreover, a reverse genetic/transgenic approach will be used to dissect the role of specific dopaminergic circuits in novelty arousal using Drosophila melanogaster. In this approach, the function of dopamine neural circuits and participating receptors required for the initiation of exploration will be identified. These approaches will provide unprecedented detail on the neurobiology of neophilia.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.

非技术性段落是对新型刺激的吸引力，并且物种之间和物种之间的变化很大。据信，较高水平的新哲学会导致更大的行为灵活性，有效的动物能够适应环境变化并成功入侵新的生态系统的能力。拟议的工作将着重于识别负责新哲学的基因和神经元。这项工作将使用具有多种遗传方法和综合遗传方法的新型竞技场探索测定法。在果蝇中，将使用突变体和转基因线来确定大脑内多巴胺信号传导的要求，以引发新人探索。果蝇姊妹物种产生的新遗传图群体也将用于映射这两个密切相关的物种之间发现的探索性行为差异涉及的遗传变异。这两种方法将有助于解释为什么在昆虫物种中发现新探索的巨大差异。这种理解可能会超越昆虫，并阐明其他物种中的新哲学。这项工作将进一步产生一些持久的社会利益，包括生成新型的制图人群，可用于识别控制许多复杂生理和行为反应的重要遗传变异。这些血统将大致分配给研究人员。本科研究人员可以高度访问拟议的实验，并将用于培训密西西比大学和休斯敦大学市区的学生，其中许多来自服务不足的群体，科学询问和神经科学和行为的遗传方法。需要建立新哲学的分子和神经元基础的技术段落来解释这种行为性状的广泛间隙和种内变异。该提案的目的是了解果蝇神经系统中的Neophilia是如何编码的，包括鉴定分子和负责识别新型刺激的神经回路和动物中引起的唤醒。我们的中心假设是，在果蝇物种中食品专业化的进化过程中，选择了降低Neophilia的遗传变异，从而导致特定探索的丧失。多巴胺信号传导也可能涉及。果蝇物种与各种遗传学方法结合的新型开放式探索将用于确定负责寻求新颖性行为差异的遗传变异。长期以来，新型的开放田园一直被用来测量各种实验室物种的探索的性状和状态依赖性变化。有趣的是，生态通才的果蝇Simulans积极探索新颖的竞技场，而其姊妹物种和生态专家果蝇Sechellia却没有。这些果蝇姊妹物种产生的重组近交谱系的种群将用于确定负责这些物种之间新哲学差异的定量性状位置。此外，将使用一种反向遗传/转基因方法来剖析特定多巴胺能电路在新颖性中使用果蝇杂种剂在新颖性中的作用。在这种方法中，将确定多巴胺神经元电路和参与接收器的功能。这些方法将提供有关Neophilia神经生物学的前所未有的细节。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准，认为通过评估被认为是宝贵的支持。