Acquisition of Instrumentation for Marine Genomics and Proteomics

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#0115801, "Acquisition of instrumentation for marine genomics and proteomics." (NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program). PI: R.S. Burton ABSTRACT:A grant has been awarded to Dr. Burton at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) for the acquisition of instrumentation for analyses of genes and their expression in marine organisms. The instrumentation will enable researchers to study genome-wide responses to environmental stress at both the nucleic acid and protein levels and will form a core facility for use in the research projects of ten different laboratories at SIO. Although the specific research goals vary with the laboratory, the primary questions motivating the projects are similar: What are the molecular mechanisms by which organisms adapt to specific marine environments? What impact do these organismal adaptations have on ecosystem function? Specific research projects will consist of analyses of microbial communities in the ocean, including both quantitative identification of community members and functional composition of the communities. Both free-living microbes and those involved in symbiotic relationships with invertebrates will be analyzed with a focus on adaptations to temperature, pressure and nutrient regimes. Other studies will address interactions between components of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of invertebrate species and signal transduction pathways across marine invertebrate cell membranes. In addition to enabling multiple specific research projects, this grant will facilitate SIO's mission of training the next generation of ocean scientists. SIO students already take a variety of genomics classes and seminars across the entire UCSD campus; yet without easy access and hands-on training using modern instrumentation, students have been unable to take full advantage of existing technologies in designing their own dissertation research programs. This grant will enhance the research and training environment at SIO so that the institution will continue to attract top faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students and provide a state-of-the-art research environment.