NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Japan

Kameyama Hiroto, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Hiroto Kameyama of University of California, San Diego to conduct a research project in Biology during the summer of 2013 at Ehime University in Ehime, Japan. The project title is "(Re)investigation of Wolbachia Infections in Wild Japanese Populations of Drosophila bifasciata." The host scientist is Dr. Masayoshi Watada. In 1969, Dr. Hiroshi Ikeda investigated the occurrence of "sex-ratio" females in wild populations of Drosophila bifasciata in Japan. "Sex-ratio" or SR females have been shown to kill XY zygotes in early developmental stages, producing a strong bias toward female offspring. Later investigations showed that the Wolbachia-infected D. bifasciata induce male deaths during embryonic development, and further analyses illustrated some of the fundamental mechanisms of selective male killings. The project re-investigates the frequency of "sex-ratio" females in three islands of Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, and Shikoku) almost half a century after the initial survey and tests for an association with Wolbachia infection in any SR females. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, the project in Japan gives American scientists access to researchers and resources in Japan; building bridges between American institutions and Japanese researchers. In addition, the samples of various Drosophila species collected from the three islands will be made available to the international scientific community through Ehime Fly. Finally, it assesses the relationship between what is discovered with a model organism such as Drosophila, and a widespread endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia, under laboratory conditions with what occurs in the wild, and in doing so, bear on the ability to generalize from the laboratory to the natural world.