RUI: Amphibian Olfaction: Morphological and Molecular Adaptation Across the Water-to-Land Transition

RUI：两栖动物嗅觉：从水到陆的过渡过程中的形态和分子适应

• 批准号: 0092070
• 负责人: John Reiss
• 金额: $ 29.42万
• 依托单位: Humboldt State University Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-06-15 至 2005-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0092070&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Amphibian; Olfaction; Morphological; Molecular

Amphibian metamorphosis provides a unique opportunity to understand the changes necessary to adapt from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. Within a single lifetime, an amphibian must undergo structural and physiological changes that allow it to make the transition that took our ancestors millions of years. The goal of this project is to determine the structural and molecular features of the amphibian nose that adapt it to smelling in air vs. water. In this study, the detailed structure of the nose in larvae and adults of a representative salamander, caecilian, and frog, and lungfish (the closet living relative of tetrapods) will be examined by histology, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the genes that code for odorant receptor proteins (the proteins that actually bind and respond to smells) will be cloned from each of these species and the stages and regions of the nose in which the genes are expressed determined. Finally, experiments with vital dyes will be used to determine which regions of the nose are exposed to water vs. air in living animals. The results from this study will provide the first broad overview of metamorphic changes in the amphibian olfactory system, and of adaptations of the adult nose for smelling water. This research will significantly enhance our understanding of the changes in the olfactory system that occurred in the ancestry of amphibians, and thus in our own ancestry; in addition, this research at an undergraduate institution (RUI) will provide an important opportunity for undergraduate to gain the experience, skills and perspective needed to attract them to, and prepare them for, a career in science.

两栖动物的变态提供了一个独特的机会，了解必要的变化，以适应从水生到陆地环境。 在一生中，两栖动物必须经历结构和生理变化，使其能够完成我们祖先数百万年的转变。 这个项目的目标是确定两栖动物鼻子的结构和分子特征，使其适应空气和水的气味。 在这项研究中，鼻子的详细结构，在幼虫和成年人的代表蝾螈，盲肠，青蛙，肺鱼（最近的生活亲属的四足动物）将检查组织学，扫描电子显微镜，透射电子显微镜。 此外，编码气味受体蛋白（实际上结合并对气味做出反应的蛋白质）的基因将从这些物种中克隆出来，并确定基因表达的鼻子的阶段和区域。 最后，使用活体染料的实验将用于确定活体动物鼻子的哪些区域暴露于水或空气中。 这项研究的结果将首次全面概述两栖动物嗅觉系统的变性变化，以及成年人鼻子闻水的适应性。 这项研究将显着提高我们的嗅觉系统中发生的两栖动物的祖先，从而在我们自己的祖先的变化的理解;此外，在本科院校（RUI）的这项研究将提供一个重要的机会，为本科生获得的经验，技能和观点需要吸引他们，并准备他们，在科学的职业生涯。