ABSTRACT

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2008. The fellowship supports a research and training plan entitled "Dynamics and ecological significance of the origins, order and inheritance of fungal gene clusters" for Jason C. Slot. The host institution for this research is Vanderbilt University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Antonis Rokas.

The location of genes in a genome may play a role in the gene's overall function and evolution and the ecology of the organism. For example, in fungi, genes that work together are often located side-by-side in the genome seemingly to make it easier to coordinate the genes' functions. This is important because the functions of these genes relate to how a fungus functions or causes diseases of plants and animals, including humans. The evolution of such closely linked genes, called "gene clusters", is not well understood. Sometimes gene clusters can be transferred from one fungus to another unrelated fungus, which then gains the ability to cause disease or move to a new ecological niche. This research is investigating how gene clusters arise and evolve in fungi and how often they are transferred between unrelated fungi.

The training goals include developing the skills in biological programming and genome exploration to address such fundamental, yet under-studied, questions of fungal genome evolution. Broader impacts include new scientific knowledge and educational activities. The bioinformatics tools being developed will be broadly applicable to other organisms as their genomes are studied; and the specific findings of this research will contribute to improved strategies of managing fungal diseases, especially in forest ecosystems.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.