Molecular Regulation of Carbon Fixation in Oceanic Picoplankton

二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶-加氧酶（RuBPCase）是一种 负责地球上几乎所有碳固定的酶 是浮游植物的主要羧化酶， 世界的海洋。 此外，RuBPCase可能在以下方面发挥全球性作用： 调节一种温室气体二氧化碳。 知识 这种酶的调节对于理解 海洋初级生产力和浮游植物对 环境变化或长期变化。 保罗博士和他的 合作者Tabita博士将专注于分子调控， 这种酶在沿海和贫营养海洋中的微型浮游生物中 环境. 他们最近发明了一种提取 从浮游植物中检测到RuBPCase基因 在自然人群中的表达。 这些生物分子技术 将被用于研究昼夜和光依赖性调节， 聚球藻RuBPCase基因的研究和前绿藻， 在自然人群中。 第二个目标是确定 并通过扩增RUBPCase来表征主要初级生产者 用于从自然群体克隆和测序的mRNA。 mRNA的扩增将导致源自于 转录活跃的光养生物。 序列数据将 与RuBPCase数据库进行比较以鉴定活性物质。 如果 遇到新的光养生物，简约分析将是 将这些形式与它们进化上最接近的 亲戚 总之，该项目将提供基本的 关于RuBPCase基因响应于 环境因素，并确定关键的光养生物， 海洋微型浮游生物

Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RuBPCase) is the enzyme responsible for nearly all carbon fixation on this planet and is the major carboxylating enzyme in the phytoplankton of the world's oceans. Additionally, RuBPCase may play a global role in modulating one of the greenhouse gases, CO2. Knowledge of the regulation of this enzyme is important for understanding control of primary production in the oceans and phytoplankton response to environmental perturbations or long term change. Dr. Paul and his collaborator, Dr. Tabita, will focus on the molecular regulation of this enzyme in picoplankton in coastal and oligotrophic oceanic environments. They have recently developed a method for extraction of mRNA from phytoplankton and have detected RuBPCase gene expression in natural populations. These biomolecular techniques will be used to study diel and light-dependent regulation of the RuBPCase gene in cultured Synechococcus spp. and prochlorophytes, and in natural populations. The second objective is to identify and characterize the key primary producers by amplifying RUBPCase mRNA for cloning and sequencing from natural populations. Amplification of mRNA will result in clones that originated from transcriptionally active phototrophs. Sequence data will be compared to RuBPCase data bases to identify the active species. If novel phototrophs are encountered, parsimony analysis will be performed to relate these forms to their evolutionary closest relative. In summary, the project will provide fundamental information on the control of the RuBPCase genes in response to environmental factors and identify key phototrophic organisms in oceanic picoplankton.