| NSF Org: |
IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | December 28, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 9, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1558088 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Steven Klein
IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | January 15, 2016 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $230,926.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $240,926.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2017 = $10,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1 BERNARD BARUCH WAY NEW YORK NY US 10010-5585 (646)312-2211 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
17 Lexington Avenue New York NY US 10010-5585 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | Animal Developmental Mechanism |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
Plasticity is an organism's ability to adjust to environmental conditions. Many insects have an extreme version of plasticity called polyphenism, in which they exhibit new body parts in response to environmental stressors such as a lack of food or increased population density. These alternative morphologies are often controlled by juvenile hormone (JH). Despite acting across the entire organism, only certain tissues respond to changes in JH. This project will elucidate the genetic basis of JH sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster and use this as a model for the developmental control of polyphenisms in other insects. This project will be implemented as a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) for third year students at Baruch College, CUNY, a Primarily Undergraduate Institution in New York City. The major impact of this project is increased undergraduate participation in research, particularly students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. Course-based research projects increase the opportunity for students at institutions with small numbers of available individual mentorships. By offering research projects as part of a course, they are made available to students who may not be aware of either the opportunities on campus or the benefits of participation, may not otherwise be chosen for an individual mentorship, and may not have the financial independence to take time away from paying jobs to participate in research. This project will result in an increase in Baruch College graduates joining the STEM workforce.
The expected significance of the proposed project is three-fold: First, the range of natural variation in hormone sensitivity across tissues will be determined by measuring the degree of sensitivity in all of the genotyped flies in the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). This will bolster understanding of developmental plasticity within a single species. Second, the genetic architecture of hormone sensitivity within a population will be determined by performing a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) on the variation data. This will elucidate the genomic distribution of genes involved in hormonal response. Lastly, new genetic targets of the JH pathway will be discovered, greatly increasing the number of known functional targets in this critical pathway. This discovery will provide a hierarchy of JH targets from the hormone receptor level to the downstream effector genes, significantly advancing the field of JH biology. These target genes will then be used to study JH at different developmental time points and across hexapods.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
We found a great deal of natural variation in juvenile hormone sensitivity across the inbred fruitfly lines from the DGRP collection. Different lines were more sensitive for different characteristics, aiding in our understanding of tissue specific roles of juvenile hormone. GWAS of the hormone sensitivity found many associations with interesting genes that were not previously known to be involved in the juvenile hormone response. Additionally, we created a histology library of sectioned DGRP adults, as a shared resource for the scientists studying these lines.
We also found that exposure to the pesticide, methoprene, that acts as a juvenile hormone mimic, can lead to a cellular immune response. The juvenile hormone receptors are required for this response. Pathways with known roles in the immune response were both activated and required for the methoprene cellular immune response. It is unclear why an increase in juvenile hormone signaling would lead to this reponse. We look forward to studying these responses in the future.
The project lead to the training of additional students in STEM. Both CUNY undergraduates and NYC public high school students participated in collecting these data through individually mentored and course-based studies. Students reported that participating in this work helped them prepare for both graduate school and job interviews.
Last Modified: 09/02/2022
Modified by: Rebecca Spokony
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
