Integrative Research Program in Marine Genomics

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This project lays out an innovative program to use genomic and biochemical approaches to investigate genes and gene products in commercial shrimp associated with their resistance to environmental stresses and viral infections. Genomics tools such as the functional analysis of expressed proteins (deduced from the comparative analysis of expressed sequence tags or ESTs) will be developed and applied to explore which genes are involved in resistance and how these genes are regulated. The initial work will focus on the host response of commercial shrimp species to two virus diseases (TSV and WSSV); later the methods may be applied to other marine species as well. A multi-institutional network of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, the SC Department of Natural Resources, and the National Ocean Services Laboratory will establish the program building on expertise already in place on molecular genetic and protein biochemical approaches to one aspect of shrimp physiology, namely, the host response. The research effort is directed towards "functional genomics," i.e., the detection and study of genes by virtue of their expression. The work presents an integrated approach for understanding the combined and interacting effects of environmental stresses and viral infection in both cultivated and wild shrimp species, focusing on gene expression as studies by cDNA to mRNA ("ESTs"), and by rapid identification of expressed proteins using mass spectrometry-based protein structure analysis. The current application proposes to put infrastructure in place to: (1) focus efforts on a single species which will lay the groundwork for expansion into other marine species; (2) increase competitiveness by hiring two new additional junior faculty to augment and complement existing capability in molecular biology/genomics and bioinformatics; (3) develop a bioinformatics component which will lay the groundwork for further research and graduate training efforts, and (4) form partnerships with private companies to transfer the findings for commercial interests.