Marine Biotechnology Fellowship: Characterization of the Role of Bacterial Symbionts in the Protection of Loligo Opalescens Embryos

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9321532 EPEL Current understanding of the defense mechanisms utilized by early embryos to evade environmental threats is rudimentary in comparison to our knowledge of multicellular defense systems, such as the immune system, employed by adult life stages. Strong ecological selectiv pressures for biological devices to resist pathogens and predators must exist in embryos to assure survival of these critical primary stages in oceanic life cycles. The egg capsule of the Pacificc squid, Loligo opalescens, provides a model system to study such embryo protection processes. These squid deposit their eggs in large communal aggregates in shallow coastal waters such as in Monterey Bay. During their month-long gestation period these embryos endure little or no animal, fungal, or microbial predations. Initial studies revealed the presence of several distinct bacterial symbionts specifically associated with the egg capsule sheath. These bacteria apparently are secreted from the accessory nidamental gland connected to the squid ovary, which also contains symbioticbacteria. This research project aims to identify these microbes and assess their contribution to the protection of the squid embryos in the wild. By integrating prokaryotic genetics and molecular biology with more classical approaches to ocean ecology, this research will address questions concerning both marine embryo defense mechanisms and potential therapeutic agents for use in aquaculture and medicine. Additionally, the molecular devices responsible for the mutualistic relationship between marine bacteria and the eukaryotic host that will be studied may represent a global phenomenon with implications for a wide spectrum of disciplines including immunology, cell biology, and infectious disease. ***