Functional Genomics of High Pressure Adaptation

加州大学圣迭戈分校斯克里普斯海洋学研究所的道格拉斯·巴特利特博士获得了一笔赠款，用于鉴定和表征使某些微生物能够在深海环境中繁殖的基因和蛋白质。深海环境的压力可能比地球表面的压力大1000倍，温度接近冰点。大多数拟议的工作将在深海细菌物种上进行，其整个基因组序列将很快被完全了解。为了实现研究目标，将分离无法在高压下生长的突变细胞，并利用最先进的细菌遗传和分子生物学技术确定其压力敏感性的基础。丰度由压力控制的蛋白质将使用半自动生化过程进行鉴定。不能产生某些压力调节蛋白的基因工程突变体的特性将被检查，以便更好地了解这些蛋白在高压下微生物生长中的作用。细菌比任何其他生命形式拥有更多种类的基因，其中许多基因在医学和生物技术方面具有价值。来自深海极端环境的微生物无疑将拥有具有实用价值的新基因。例如，人们已经知道，许多深海细菌具有产生omega-3多不饱和脂肪酸的基因，这些分子对人类心血管健康和预防某些疾病很有用。深海是地球上发现生命的最大部分，对深海中使生命得以存在的基因和蛋白质进行表征，为了解生命如何在截然不同的物理条件下生存的基本细节提供了机会。此外，作为这项资助的一部分进行的工作可能会提供有关生命如何在我们的星球之外存在低温和高压的细节，例如在木星的卫星木卫二的水生环境中。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Douglas Bartlett of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego to identify and characterize genes and proteins which enable some species of microorganisms to flourish in deep ocean environments where the pressure can be as great as one thousand times greater than that which exists on the surface of our planet and where the temperature is close to freezing. Most of the proposed work will be performed on a deep-sea bacterial species whose entire genome sequence will soon be completely known. In order to accomplish the research goals mutant cells unable to grow at high pressure will be isolated and the basis of their pressure sensitivity will be ascertained using state of the art bacterial genetic and molecular biology techniques. Proteins whose abundance is controlled by pressure will be identified using a semi-automated biochemical process. The properties of genetically engineered mutants that cannot make certain pressure-regulated proteins will be examined so that the role of these proteins in microbial growth at high pressure can be better understood.Bacteria possess a greater variety of genes than any other life forms and many of these genes have value in medicine and biotechnology. Microbes from the extreme environment of the deep ocean will undoubtedly possess novel genes of practical value. For example, it is already known that many deep-sea bacteria have genes for the production of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and these molecules are useful for human cardiovascular health and the prevention of certain diseases. Characterizing the genes and proteins which enable life in the abyss, which represents the largest part of Earth where life is found, provides the opportunity for learning fundamental details of how life can exist under dramatically different physical constraints. In addition, the work performed as a part of this grant may provide details on how life could exist outside of our planet where low temperatures and high pressures exist, such as within the aquatic environment of Jupiter's moon Europa.