Gene Expression in Extreme Environments: Extending Microarray Technology to Understand Life at its Limits.

极端环境中的基因表达：扩展微阵列技术以了解生命的极限。

• 批准号: 0085435
• 负责人: Alison Murray
• 金额: $ 30.9万
• 依托单位: Nevada System of Higher Education, Desert Research Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-03-01 至 2005-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0085435&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Gene; Expression; Extreme; Environments; Extending

One of the most challenging requirements for the study of life in extreme environments is studying the organisms inhabiting these environments in situ, and understanding the unique aspects of biological life and adaptations required for survival. The Antarctic marine psychrophiles provide an excellent model group of extreme microorganisms for this work, since very little is known about their biological and functional diversity, or specific metabolic adaptations to life at -1.8 degree C. The overall goal of this research is the development of genomic approaches for studying microorganisms sampled directly from extreme environments and thus, circumventing the requirement for cultivation. The objectives of the proposed work are (1) to sequence six large bacterial genomic DNA fragments isolated directly from Antarctic marine psychrophiles; (2) to construct two different types of DNA microarrays designed to identify genes being actively expressed in uncultivated microorganisms living in the sub-zero marine waters of the Antarctic; (3) to optimize specific aspects of microarray technology for use with environmental samples; and 4) to develop a transferable methodology that will be useful for other researchers in accessing gene expression information directly from the natural environment. The proposed study will make use of an Antarctic genomic DNA library comprised of large (40 kb) genomic fragments of planktonic archaeal and bacterial DNA created in earlier studies to develop targeted and shotgun DNA microarrays. The application of DNA microarray technology to studies of life in extreme environments offers an outstanding opportunity for identifying new genes for biotechnological use. Discovering specific adaptations to extreme environments by detecting genes that are uniquely expressed in the natural environment is an ultimate goal of the research.

研究极端环境中的生命最具挑战性的要求之一是就地研究居住在这些环境中的生物体，并了解生物生命的独特方面和生存所需的适应能力。 南极海洋嗜冷生物为这项工作提供了极好的极端微生物模型群，因为人们对其生物和功能多样性或对 -1.8 摄氏度生活的特定代谢适应知之甚少。这项研究的总体目标是开发基因组方法来研究直接从极端环境中取样的微生物，从而避免培养的要求。 拟议工作的目标是（1）对直接从南极海洋嗜冷生物中分离的六个大细菌基因组 DNA 片段进行测序； (2) 构建两种不同类型的DNA微阵列，旨在识别生活在南极零度以下海水中的未培养微生物中活跃表达的基因； (3) 优化用于环境样品的微阵列技术的具体方面； 4) 开发一种可转移的方法，有助于其他研究人员直接从自然环境获取基因表达信息。 拟议的研究将利用由早期研究中创建的浮游古菌和细菌 DNA 的大型 (40 kb) 基因组片段组成的南极基因组 DNA 文库来开发靶向和鸟枪式 DNA 微阵列。 DNA 微阵列技术在极端环境下的生命研究中的应用为识别生物技术用途的新基因提供了绝佳的机会。 通过检测自然环境中独特表达的基因来发现对极端环境的特定适应是该研究的最终目标。