An Investigation of Microbial Symbiosis in Vertebrate Embryonic Diapause Using Austrofundulus Limnaeus as a Model

Studies emphasizing the crucial dynamic between multicellular organisms and microbes continue to broaden our understanding on how these relationships lead to pathogenicity or mutual benefit. Many studies show that microbes can aid hosts through a variety of mechanisms including: metabolism, neuro development, physical performance, and behavior. In this study we aim to characterize the microbiota of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus, and investigate the potential role that microbes may have in supporting embryonic diapause. Diapausing embryos can survive extreme environmental stresses such as anoxia, drought, and fluctuating osmolarity and pH. Understanding the potential role that microbes may play in supporting this tolerance could provide advancements in medical research. Here we use aseptic technique to harvest tissues including the intestinal tract, gonad, and liver of adult male and female subjects, and to collect embryos at different stages of development and in diapause. DNA will be extracted using a Qiagen Blood and Tissue kit. DNA sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA genes will be used to identify potential microbial symbionts associated with this unique species of fish. We hypothesize that symbiotic microbes help support embryos during diapause by offering metabolic pathways to support survival that are not encoded in vertebrate genomes