# A genomic toolkit for functional interrogation of trait variation in an aquatic model

> **NIH NIH R24** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · 2022 · $677,073

## Abstract

SUMMARY
In the study of disease, the polygenic factors that lead to genetic adaptation in species, essentially who will be asymptomatic
while under environmental stressors, mostly remain undiscovered. Without a comparative understanding of these unique
features by cell type, that evolution has preserved, our efforts to more broadly implement precision medicine will be limited
in multiple phenotypes. One of the most promising applications of evolutionary medicine has been the use of divergent
animal models to deconstruct and uncover fundamental concepts of biological organization in great detail. The Mexican
cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus provides a rapidly growing model system to apply principles of evolutionary medicine to
study trait variation. We have implemented a toolbox of genetic tools that allow for functional interrogation of various traits
in the Mexican cavefish, but key resources are missing. This model species consists of surface and cavefish populations that
possess natural trait differentiation, often displaying genetic adaption associated with environmental change, without
impacting health or longevity. The objectives of our studies are to generate three tiers of community requested resources:
high-quality surface and cavefish genome assemblies, using powerful single-cell sequencing technology a cell atlas with
differentiating gene expression data sets and targeted gene reporter constructs coupled with a spatial understanding of their
gene regulatory effects. This compendium of resource data and methodology can serve a large community wishing to test
various hypotheses of adaptation in this species and others. Our proposed research objectives are significant in that they
will contribute comparative gene networks that reveal novel differences with a growing assemblage of gene candidates for
human diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10334180
- **Project number:** 1R24OD030214-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Alex C Keene
- **Activity code:** R24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $677,073
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-15 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10334180

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10334180, A genomic toolkit for functional interrogation of trait variation in an aquatic model (1R24OD030214-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10334180. Licensed CC0.

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