DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Life History Coevolution Between an Aging Bacterium and its Bacteriophage

论文研究：衰老细菌与其噬菌体之间的生命史共同进化

• 批准号: 0608398
• 负责人: Paul Turner
• 金额: $ 0.96万
• 依托单位: Yale University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-06-01 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0608398&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Life; History; Coevolution

Many parasites establish infections through two different pathways: vertical transmission to offspring of infected hosts, and horizontal transmission to uninfected hosts. This study examines a key, unexplored question regarding parasite behavior: how does host aging influence parasite transmission? A mathematical model of host-parasite dynamics predicts increased horizontal transmission as host age increases and reproduction declines. Preliminary results from a model bacterial system confirm this expectation. Further experiments using this bacterial system will examine the behavior of parasites upon introduction to hosts with varying aging patterns. Initial parasite behavior in these new hosts will identify any general ability of parasites to detect and respond to differences in host aging. Laboratory evolution experiments will subsequently explore parasite behaviors that require specialization to a particular host. Taken together, these efforts explore the role of host aging in shaping parasite transmission behavior from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.This study develops both a mathematical modeling framework and an experimental system for exploring the effects of host aging on parasite behavior. This research thus provides theoretical and experimental tools for future research on vertically transmitted parasites. This class of parasites includes agents of human disease such as AIDS and cancer, as well as infectious agents of crops and livestock. Understanding the basic behavior of such parasites will therefore assist in effectively managing organisms that detrimentally impact human health and the economy.

许多寄生虫通过两种不同的途径进行感染：垂直传播给受感染宿主的后代，水平传播给未感染宿主。这项研究考察了关于寄生虫行为的一个关键的、尚未探索的问题：宿主老化如何影响寄生虫的传播？寄主-寄生虫动态的数学模型预测，随着寄主年龄的增加和繁殖的减少，水平传播增加。模型细菌系统的初步结果证实了这一预期。使用这种细菌系统的进一步实验将检查寄生虫在进入具有不同老化模式的宿主时的行为。这些新宿主的初始寄生虫行为将确定寄生虫检测和响应宿主老化差异的任何一般能力。实验室进化实验随后将探索需要对特定宿主进行专门化的寄生虫行为。综上所述，这些努力从理论和经验两个角度探索了宿主老化在寄生虫传播行为塑造中的作用。本研究开发了一个数学模型框架和一个实验系统来探索宿主老化对寄生虫行为的影响。本研究为今后垂直传播寄生虫的研究提供了理论和实验工具。这类寄生虫包括人类疾病的病原体，如艾滋病和癌症，以及农作物和牲畜的传染病病原体。因此，了解这种寄生虫的基本行为将有助于有效地管理有害于人类健康和经济的有机体。