Sensory Mechanisms of Chemical Defenses

这个项目的目标是了解允许动物在化学上防御捕食者的感官机制。虽然关于捕食者-猎物相互作用中的化学防御知道得很多，但对感觉机制的研究很少。这项提案提出的问题是，单一的猎物物种如何保护自己免受行为和感觉系统高度分化的多种捕食者物种的攻击？这项研究将产生影响，因为它将从行为到分子水平解释化学防御的感觉机制。该提案将结合使用两种模式系统。海兔是神经科学和化学防御的典范。海兔的捕食者是带刺的龙虾和海豚，它们是化学感官、神经生物学和涉及捕食者的行为的模型。这项建议建立在从海兔的墨水和蛋白石防御分泌物中识别出新的化学防御机制和新的候选防御分子的工作基础上。该建议有四个目标：1)确定海兔乳白分泌物中厌恶化合物对抗刺龙虾的感官机制；2)确定海兔墨水中L氨基氧化物氧化酶的作用，并具有抗菌活性；3)确定吞噬和感官破坏的普遍性；4)确定海兔墨水和蛋白石中警报信号的分子性质--导致海兔避免接触墨水的化学物质。该提案的更广泛影响是通过代表人数不足的群体参与这些研究项目来促进对学生的教学和培训。此外，该项目将提供外联和公共传播信息；加深格陵兰州立大学和格鲁吉亚水族馆之间的关系；继续开发与逃逸药物专利相关的技术；加强格拉斯哥州立大学的研究和教育基础设施；并支持与国家科学基金会国家科学和技术中心的活动，以促进行为神经科学。

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.