NSF PRFB FY22: Gut instinct: environmental and reproductive influences on microbiome contributions to neuroinflammation

NSF PRFB FY22：肠道本能：环境和生殖对微生物组对神经炎症的影响

• 批准号: 2208957
• 负责人: Megan Massa
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Massa, Megan G
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2208957&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; PRFB; FY22; Gut; instinct

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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. The gut is home to trillions of bacteria. These microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiome, work together with their host’s body. Prior research has shown that, depending on host physiology, gut microbiome function can be altered by outside cues, with these changes leading to consequences in the host body. Using zebra finch birds as a model, this project explores how stress (an environmental variable) and hormones from the ovaries and testes (an internal variable) change the microbiome and thus alter host brain inflammation. Despite far-reaching consequences of the gut microbiome to behavior and health, many complexities of understanding how the microbiome affects the brain remain unprobed. This project will provide additional knowledge of how various environmental and internal conditions can alter this symbiosis to affect the brain. The Fellow will also development and assess improved protocols to increase lab accessibility for undergraduates and high school students. The first aim of this project will determine whether environmental stress alters the microbiome differently in males vs. females to alter neuroinflammation. Male and female finches, with or without microbiome presence will be placed in social isolation or group housing. Microbiome composition and function will be assessed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and carbohydrate utilization analysis, respectively. All animals will then be subjected to penetrating brain injury and their neuroimmune responses assessed via analysis of pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways by quantitative PCR and immunoreactivity. The second aim examines the contributions of gonadal hormones to microbiome composition and function and subsequent neuroinflammation in response to penetrating brain injury. Animals will be treated with pharmacological agents to alter androgen or estrogen levels before assessing the microbiome and neuroinflammation profiles as previously stated. In addition to this research, the Fellow will also be working towards developing the skills necessary to teach at and develop a research program suitable for a primarily undergraduate institution.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2022财年的生物学生物学研究金提供了一项NSF博士后研究奖学金，该研究研究了研究基因组，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。肠道是数万亿个细菌的家。这些微生物（统称为微生物组）与宿主的身体一起起作用。先前的研究表明，根据宿主生理，肠道微生物组功能可以通过外部线索改变，这些变化会导致宿主体内的后果。该项目以斑马细鸟为模型，探讨了压力（环境变量）和卵巢和测试（内部变量）的马匹如何改变微生物组，从而改变宿主脑感染。尽管肠道微生物组对行为和健康的影响深远，但了解微生物组如何影响大脑的许多复杂性仍然无探测。该项目将提供有关各种环境和内部条件如何改变此符号以影响大脑的更多知识。该研究员还将制定和评估改进的协议，以增加本科生和高中生的实验室可访问性。该项目的第一个目的将确定环境压力在男性与女性中以不同的方式改变微生物组以改变神经炎症。有或没有微生物组的男性和女性菲奇将被放置在社会隔离或群体外壳中。微生物组的组成和功能将分别通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）和碳水利用分析评估。然后，所有动物都将通过定量PCR和免疫反应性分析通过分析促促和抗炎途径来评估其神经免疫性反应。性腺恐怖对微生物组组成和功能以及随后对穿透性脑损伤的响应的神经炎症的第二个目标检查。如前所述，在评估微生物组和神经炎症谱之前，将用药物治疗动物以改变雄激素或雌激素水平。除了这项研究外，该研究员还将努力发展适合初级本科机构的研究和制定研究计划所必需的技能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为通过使用该基金会的知识分子和更广泛影响的评估审查标准来通过评估来获得珍贵的支持。