NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2014

Tseng Roger D, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2015, Broadening Participation. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow and a plan to broaden participation of groups under-represented in science. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Roger D. Tseng is "Investigating circadian clock regulation of essential genes in cyanobacteria." The host institution for this fellowship is University of California, San Diego, and the sponsoring scientists are Susan S. Golden and James W. Golden. The biological ability to keep time on a 24-hour schedule is ubiquitous, perhaps arising as an adaptation to predictable sunrise and sunset. An endogenous circadian clock endows organisms with this shared ability to anticipate day/night changes and respond by adjusting gene activities accordingly. Understanding how the biological clock regulates gene activities is important because clock dysfunction can lead to metabolic imbalance, abnormal cell growth, and even cell death. The photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus harbors the most tractable circadian clock and is an excellent model to study how the clock regulates genes. The fellowship research focuses on how the biological clock of cyanobacteria regulates a special group of genes called "essential genes" that are indispensable for cell survival and are difficult to manipulate without killing the cell. The Fellow is developing a new method to manipulate gene activity of the essential genes without inducing cell death and determining the downstream effects on biological timing. Results promise insights into 1) the genetic regulation between essential genes and the clock, 2) functions of the essential genes as many of them are unknown, and 3) evolutionary advantages conferred by the circadian clock when controlling essential gene activity. Training goals include next-generation genome editing, bacterial genetics, whole-cell gene expression analysis, and high-throughput mutant screening. San Diego provides an excellent location for educational outreach to veterans with its several military bases, and UCSD has well-established support mechanisms for students who are military veterans. Other educational outreach includes establishing an undergraduate team to participate in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) biology competition.