NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Elucidating the diversity, prevalence, and stability of deep-sea RNA viruses

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, 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. Viruses are the world’s most prevalent microbes and play a vital role in the function of the organisms with which they interact.

This can have global effects, as cell death caused by viral infection leads to the release of carbon and nutrients back into the environment to be used by other organisms. As the importance of viruses in the environment becomes more widely recognized, it is critical to understand the diversity of viruses found in the deep ocean where the interplay between viruses and their hosts has not been well studied.

This research will identify and characterize RNA viruses, a specific group of viruses found in the deep ocean about which little is currently known. The results will provide insights into virus-host interactions that will be important for understanding microbial function and carbon cycling. To broaden the https://www.ejacket.nsf.gov/ej/showContextStatementList.do?pageProposalId=2010963&source=docsummaryimpact of the work, the fellow will apply experiential learning modules and mentorship to increase exposure and participation of underrepresented middle-school and community college students in science.

RNA viruses represent a group of biological entities that remain vastly understudied in the natural world and even more so in marine environments such as the deep sea. The lack of knowledge about environmental RNA viruses impacts understanding of the marine microbial loop and the importance of viruses in driving microbial adaptation. The proposed work will explore the diversity and prevalence of RNA viruses within deep-sea environments that represent important sites for microbial adaptation and evolution.

Utilizing culture-independent sequencing approaches and deep-sea microbial isolates, this work aims to 1) identify novel RNA viruses, 2) elucidate the presence of auxiliary metabolic genes which drive virus-host interactions, and 3) classify viral genes required for maintenance and stability of RNA virus genomes in deep-sea environments. This research will be the first in-depth ‘omics’ study to uncover the role RNA viruses play as drivers of microbial adaptation, evolution, and biogeochemical cycling in the deep sea.

Together this proposed work will provide novel insights into the co-evolution of RNA viruses and their hosts in deep-sea environments, providing a new model for virus-host interactions in the conceptual framework of deep-sea ecosystems. Additional broader impacts of this research are aimed towards development and implementation of STEM modules related to the study of marine, viral, and microbial ecosystems for mentorship of middle-school and community college students to improve the diversity and inclusion of underrepresented individuals.

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.