Sensory Mechanisms of Chemical Defenses

这个项目的目的是了解让动物用化学方法保护自己免受捕食者侵害的感觉机制。尽管人们对捕食者-猎物相互作用中的化学防御已经了解很多，但对感觉机制的研究却很少。这个提议提出了一个问题，一个单一的猎物物种如何抵御行为和感觉系统高度分化的多种捕食者物种？这项研究将产生影响，因为它将解释化学防御的感觉机制，从行为到分子水平。该提案将结合使用两个模型系统。海兔是神经科学和化学防御的典范。海兔捕食者是多刺的龙虾和海鲶鱼，它们是化学感觉神经生物学和涉及捕食者行为的模型。这一建议建立在从海兔的墨水和蛋白石防御分泌物中鉴定出新的化学防御机制和新的候选防御分子的工作基础上。本研究主要有四个目的：1)确定海兔分泌的蛋白石中摄食厌性化合物对龙虾的感觉机制；2)确定l -氨基氧化物氧化酶“escapin”在海兔油墨中的作用及抗菌活性；3)确定吞噬行为和感觉障碍的普遍性；4)确定海兔的墨水和蛋白石中警报信号的分子性质——这种化学物质会导致海兔避开墨水。这项建议的更广泛影响是，通过代表性不足的群体参与这些研究项目，促进学生的教学和培训。此外，该项目将提供外联和向公众传播资料；加深GSU和乔治亚水族馆之间的关系；继续开发与escapin专利相关的技术；加强GSU的研究和教育基础设施；并与美国国家科学基金会国家行为神经科学技术中心合作刺激活动。

The objective of this project is to understand sensory mechanisms allowing animals to chemically defend themselves against predators. Although much is known about chemical defenses in predator-prey interactions, studies of sensory mechanisms are rare. This proposal asks, how does a single prey species defend itself against a diversity of predator species whose behavior and sensory systems are highly divergent? The research will have impact because it will explain sensory mechanisms of chemical defense, from the behavioral to the molecular level. The proposal will combine the use of two model systems. The Aplysia sea hare serves as a model of neuroscience and chemical defenses. The sea hare predators are the spiny lobster and sea catfish that serve as models in chemosensory neurobiology and behavior involving predators. This proposal builds on work where novel mechanisms of chemical defense and new candidate defensive molecules were identified from the ink and opaline defensive secretions of sea hares. The proposal has four objectives: 1) Determine the sensory mechanisms of feeding aversive compounds in the opaline secretion of sea hares against spiny lobsters; 2) Determine the role of 'escapin', an L-amino oxide oxidase in sea hare ink and with antimicrobial activity; 3) Determine the ubiquity of phagomimicry and sensory disruption; and 4) Determine the molecular nature of the alarm cues in ink and opaline of sea hares - chemicals that cause sea hares to avoid ink from conspecifics. The broader impact of the proposal is to promote teaching and training of students through the participation of underrepresented groups in these research projects. In addition, the project will provide outreach and public dissemination of information; deepen the relationship between those at GSU and the Georgia Aquarium; continue development of technologies associated with the patent on escapin; and enhance the infrastructure for research and education at GSU; and stiumlate activity with the NSF National Science and Technology Centerfor Behavioral Neuroscience.