Doctoral Dissertation Research: Exploring the Origins of Malaria Using Ancient DNA

博士论文研究：利用古代 DNA 探索疟疾的起源

• 批准号: 2141896
• 负责人: Christina Warinner
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 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: 2022-03-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2141896&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Exploring; Origins

The human species has been shaped by many biological and cultural processes, including the infectious diseases we have experienced over the millennia and our responses to those events. Given the ongoing threat of emerging infectious disease, understanding the ways in which humans and pathogens impacted one another in the past can inform infectious disease research in the present. This doctoral dissertation project examines the origins and evolution of the disease pathogen responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria (P. falciparum). This pathogen is thought to have evolved through the transfer of a gorilla parasite to humans, but the timing and anthropological context for this event and malaria’s subsequent global spread remain poorly understood. The project traces malaria’s evolutionary history through analysis of both ancient P. falciparum genomes and related great ape parasites. The project also generates new methods and tools that can be applied in other genomic research projects, fosters student training and international research collaborations, and generates new resources for public science education and outreach. The project is part of an international collaborative effort of geneticists and primatologists to reconstruct genomes from ancient Plasmodium falciparum and related great ape parasites. Using genomic analyses to estimate when P. falciparum first emerged as a human parasite, the co-PI and colleagues explore whether specific ecological and/or cultural factors, particularly the adoption or diversification of agriculture, may have favored this zoonotic event. Comparing ancient and modern parasite genomes, the investigators explore the timing and route of malaria’s global dissemination to understand the impact of human mobility on pathogen dispersal in the past. This project is anticipated to generate valuable, concrete resources for the broader scientific community, including genome-wide data from ancient Plasmodium falciparum and wild-living gorilla Plasmodium parasites.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.

人类已经受到许多生物学和文化过程的影响，包括我们在千年中经历的传染病以及我们对这些事件的反应。鉴于新兴感染的持续威胁，了解过去的人类和病原体彼此影响的方式可以为当前的传染病研究提供信息。该博士论文项目研究了导致人类疟疾最致命形式（恶性疟原虫）的病原体的起源和进化。人们认为，这种病原体是通过将大猩猩寄生虫转移到人类而发展的，但是这一事件的时机和人类学环境以及随后的疟疾的全球蔓延仍然知之甚少。该项目通过分析古老的恶性疟原虫基因组和相关的大猿类寄生虫来追溯疟疾的进化史。该项目还生成了可以在其他基因组研究项目中应用的新方法和工具，培养学生培训和国际研究合作，并为公共科学教育和推广生成新的资源。该项目是遗传学家和原始学家的国际合作努力的一部分，以重建古老的恶性疟原虫和相关的伟大猿类寄生虫。使用基因组分析来估计恶性疟原虫何时首次成为人类寄生虫，Co-Pi及其同事探讨了特定的生态和/或文化因素，尤其是农业的采用或多样化，可能偏爱这一生动性事件。比较古代和现代的寄生虫基因组，研究人员探索了疟疾全球传播的时机和途径，以了解过去人类流动性对病原体分散的影响。预计该项目将为更广泛的科学界创造有价值的，具体的资源，包括来自古代疟原虫恶性疟原虫和野生生活的大猩猩疟原虫的数据。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过基金会的知识分子优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务。