NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Uncovering the Genomic and Developmental Basis of Gliding Structure Evolution in Gecko Lizards

Griffing, Aaron H, Milwaukee WI

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the Fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. Aerial locomotion, such as gliding, has evolved repeatedly across the tree of life. Gliding behavior is often facilitated by the presence of patagia: flappy, membranous structures which allow the organism to slow and control their descent through the air. Although these features have evolved numerous times, little is known about their developmental origins. The core aim of this fellowship is to determine how membranous structures, such as those found in gliding organisms or in pathologies, are formed. The Fellow will characterize patagium development in gecko lizards, which have evolved gliding behavior and membranes several times. By characterizing development from the tissue level to the genomic level, the Fellow aims to uncover genes and pathways required for the formation of gliding membranes. The Fellow will also reach diverse audiences by involving early undergraduate students at the hosting institution in research as well performing public outreach through institutions like the Milwaukee Public Museum. Using histology, apoptosis assays, and cell proliferation assays, the Fellow will characterize the tissue composition and cellular activity of developing patagia in two species of gecko to determine if convergently evolved gecko patagia are the result of convergent or divergent cellular and developmental patterns. To identify candidate genes and regulatory pathways which result in patagium outgrowth, the Fellow will characterize the transcriptional and regulatory landscape of embryonic patagium formation using RNAseq and ATACseq. The Fellow will experimentally inhibit candidate genes and pathways to test their function in patagium development. Collectively, this research provides a foundation for the study of membrane formation in lizards, specifically, and vertebrates, broadly. Generated morphological and sequence data will be made publicly available. This fellowship will also facilitate training the Fellow in genomic and developmental genetic techniques as well as mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in evolutionary developmental biology. 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.