Postdoctoral Fellowship: OPP-PRF: Identifying Central and Peripheral Thermosensors in Eurythermal and Stenothermal Arctic Fishes

博士后奖学金：OPP-PRF：识别广温和窄温北极鱼类的中央和外周热传感器

• 批准号: 2317970
• 负责人: Julia York
• 金额: $ 35.86万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-01 至 2026-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2317970&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Postdoctoral; Fellowship; OPP; PRF; Identifying

The Arctic Ocean is warming at a rate up to seven times the global average, endangering and shifting key subsistence and commercial fisheries. Fish populations are stressed by warming and simultaneously by ocean acidification and oxidation. This study aims to characterize the evolution of proteins that integrate signals of warming, changing pH, and oxidation in the sensory systems of three species of Arctic and sub-Arctic fish: the Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis), and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Studying the evolution of these sensory mechanisms provides insight into the sensitivity and responses of fish to climate change. This work also has implications for understanding protein-induced pain, inflammation, and itch responses in humans. During the course of this research, two undergraduates from underrepresented groups in science will be mentored through a summer research program. A K-12 lesson plan will be developed that combines the insights from this project with Alaska Native science curricula and values and Next Generation Science Standards. A major goal of this work is to generate high-quality genomic and transcriptomic data across stenothermal and eurythermal Arctic fish species, but also across central thermosensory nervous tissue, peripheral thermosensory nervous tissue, non-thermosensory nervous tissue, and non-nervous somatic tissue. These data will be generated using a combination of 3rd (IsoSeq) and 2nd (RNASeq) generation sequencing technologies and be used to characterize transient receptor potential (TRP) channel sequences and expression patterns. TRP channel profiles will be compared using in silico tests of regulatory and structural evolution, including predicting protein structure using AlphaFold2. These profiles will be compared between species, tissues, and to stenothermal Antarctic fishes to investigate central and peripheral mechanisms of temperature sensation in fishes and convergent adaptation to cold. This work is the first investigation into the evolution of molecular thermosensor proteins in any Arctic species and the first to target mechanisms of thermosensation in the central nervous system of fishes. This project explores physiological mechanisms of climate adaptation in key sentinel species and expands the sequencing resources of the polar science community by generating the first long-read genome for Arctic cod, Boreogadus saida.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.

北冰洋正在以高达全球平均水平七倍的速度变暖，危及并改变了关键的自给性和商业性渔业。鱼类种群受到气候变暖以及海洋酸化和氧化的压力。本研究旨在表征三种北极和亚北极鱼类的感觉系统中整合变暖、pH 变化和氧化信号的蛋白质的进化：北极鳕鱼 (Boreogadus saida)、藏红花鳕鱼 (Eleginus gracilis)、和大西洋鳕鱼（Gadus morhua）。研究这些感觉机制的演变可以深入了解鱼类对气候变化的敏感性和反应。这项工作对于理解蛋白质引起的人类疼痛、炎症和瘙痒反应也具有重要意义。在这项研究过程中，两名来自科学界代表性不足群体的本科生将通过暑期研究项目接受指导。将制定 K-12 课程计划，将该项目的见解与阿拉斯加原住民科学课程和价值观以及下一代科学标准相结合。这项工作的一个主要目标是生成跨窄热和广温北极鱼类的高质量基因组和转录组数据，而且还跨中枢热感神经组织、外周热感神经组织、非热感神经组织和非神经躯体组织。这些数据将结合第三代 (IsoSeq) 和第二代 (RNASeq) 测序技术生成，并用于表征瞬时受体电位 (TRP) 通道序列和表达模式。 TRP 通道概况将使用调控和结构进化的计算机测试进行比较，包括使用 AlphaFold2 预测蛋白质结构。这些概况将在物种、组织和南极热鱼类之间进行比较，以研究鱼类温度感觉的中枢和外周机制以及对寒冷的趋同适应。这项工作是首次对任何北极物种中分子热敏蛋白的进化进行研究，也是首次针对鱼类中枢神经系统中的热感觉机制进行研究。该项目探索关键哨兵物种气候适应的生理机制，并通过生成北极鳕鱼Boreogadus saida的第一个长读长基因组来扩展极地科学界的测序资源。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得支持通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。