Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Microbial Biology for FY-2000

Attar, Farida V, W Bloomfield MI

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY 2000. The research and training plan is in the area of population biology and is entitled "Evolution of Life History Characters in a Arbovirus." Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) has been chosen for this study not only because it is similar to important human pathogens, e.g., measles, influenza, poliovirus, HIV, hepatitis A, B and C, but its genomic information is stored in RNA instead of DNA. RNA replication is error-prone, and therefore many mutations are constantly produced that allow extremely rapid evolution and offer an opportunity to study specific aspects of virus evolution and general issues of population genetics. A combination of comparative, mathematical, experimental, and molecular studies are being used to ask how the life histories of parasites adapt to different hosts and how these life history traits and trade-offs between the traits change in response to natural selection in the laboratory. The answers will significantly enhance our understanding of the patterns and diversity of life cycles in parasites.