NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: The role of RNA editing in thermal acclimation of the octopus nervous system.

Birk Matthew A, East Falmouth MA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The objective of this study is to better understand how neurons (the cells that perform the communication in our nervous system) acclimate to changes in environmental temperature. Proper nervous system function is dependent on many temperature-sensitive processes. Currently, it is not well understood how the nervous system of cold-blooded animals acclimates to temperature changes. Most studies on this topic have examined either how proteins or DNA changes in response to temperature change. However, this study will investigate how RNA changes in response to temperature, and will use the octopus as a model system to do so. Octopuses are able to edit a large proportion of their RNAs via a process called "RNA editing" to produce new proteins. However, it remains unclear how this is accomplished. Few examples of altered protein function through RNA editing have been documented in any animal, and none as a result of temperature acclimation. The findings from this study will help determine whether RNA editing is an important mechanism for acclimation in the octopus nervous system to rapid temperature fluctuations. In addition to this research, the fellow will promote greater inclusion of underrepresented groups in research at the Marine Biological Laboratory and host methods workshops at the University of Puerto Rico. This investigation will determine the magnitude and temporal dynamics of temperature-sensitive RNA editing in the octopus. The proposed experiments examine how quickly recoding events can change in response to acute temperature fluctuations at both the RNA and protein levels. Additional experiments will examine temperature-sensitive amino acid substitutions in kinesin and synaptotagmin, two important proteins for neuronal function, and ask whether they alter protein function to provide temperature compensation. The fellow seeks to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in biology at the Marine Biological Laboratory with a 3-point plan. Through a role on the MBL Diversity Committee, the fellow will 1) broaden career development opportunities for minorities already present at the MBL, 2) promote enrollment and funding opportunities at minority-serving institutions for world-renown MBL courses, and 3) train minority undergraduate students in molecular biology and approaches to whole organism physiology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.