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Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research (FIBR) 2003 awards "Causes and Consequences of Recombination"
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September 2003
Genetic recombination - combining genes from two different individuals into the genetic set of an offspring - is what sexual reproduction is all about. But what does it mean to a population?
Combining genomics, ecology, mathematics and other disciplines, an NSF Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research project, led by Michael Lynch at Indiana University, hopes to find out by focusing on the mechanisms and impacts of genetic recombination in water fleas, tiny freshwater crustaceans of the genus Daphnia.
The life cycle of water fleas - and whether they reproduce sexually or not - depends on the conditions in their pond. During the summer, most Daphnia are female and reproduce without mating, but, as the water begins to chill, more males are produced and sexual reproduction occurs. But the fertilized eggs that result from this meiotic cycle may lie dormant for years. Indeed centuries-old viable eggs have been recovered from sediments, and other eggs thousands of years old still harbor DNA that can be analyzed.
This gives Lynch's team the opportunity to ask questions about the short- and long-term impacts of genetic recombination. For example, how does it affect the accumulation of mutations? And does it help the population adapt to stress?
According to Susan Porter Ridley, who directs an NSF program on genome structures, "Meiosis, the hallmark of sexual reproduction, provides an opportunity for an organism to generate new genetic combinations. It has long been supposed that this might confer an evolutionary advantage." This project, she said, "shows great promise" to meet the challenge of testing this notion.
Lead principal investigator (Indiana University):
Michael Lynch, (812) 855-7384; mlynch@bio.indiana.edu
Participating institutions:
- Indiana University (Lynch, Curt Lively, Elizabeth Housworth, Mimi Solan, Justin Andrews, John Colbourne)
- University of Idaho (Barrie Robinson)
- University of Illinois (Carla Caceres)
- University of New Hampshire (W. Kelley Thomas)
- University of Edinburgh, Scotland (Tom Little)
- Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (Jeffrey Boore)
Media contact at Indiana University: David Bricker, (812) 856-9035, brickerd@indiana.edu
Total NSF funding, through August 2008: $5,000,627
Helpful web sites:
Daphnia Genomics Consortium: http://daphnia.cgb.indiana.edu
Indiana University release: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/1035.html
Award abstract: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?award=0328516
The FIBR projects announced today include the following:
- "The Evolution of Biological Social Systems"
- "Integrated Ecological and Genomic Analysis of Speciation in Mimulus,"
- "Developmental Modeling and Informatics,"
- "Integrative Studies of Wolbachia-Eukaryotic Interactions: Genomes to Communities and Back,"
- "Do Species Matter in Microbial Communities?"
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.3 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 30,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Receive official NSF news electronically through the e-mail delivery system, NSFnews. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to join-nsfnews@lists.nsf.gov. In the body of the message, type "subscribe nsfnews" and then type your name. (Ex.: "subscribe nsfnews John Smith")
Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
News Highlights: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa
Newsroom: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/media/start.htm
Science Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm
Awards Searches: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6Start.htm
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