Collaborative Research: A Post-Genomic Approach to Synechococcus-grazer Interactions

合作研究：聚球藻-食草动物相互作用的后基因组方法

• 批准号: 0648175
• 负责人: Brian Palenik
• 金额: $ 47.84万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-03-15 至 2011-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0648175&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Post; Genomic; Approach

The most common fate of microbes in aquatic environments is to become a meal for a protest grazer. A major flux of carbon in aquatic environments is thus mediated through microbe-protist interactions. The mechanisms by which microbes attempt to avoid grazers likely include morphological, behavioral, and chemical resistance strategies, yet our knowledge of these is primitive and most progress is currently being made on harmful algal bloom species. One of the insights from the availability of multiple cyanobacterial genomes is that different cyanobacteria have very different cell surface structures as well as potentially different modifications of common structures. In addition, potential chemical resistance strategies have been detected in several available genomes. This project will address protest-cyanobacterial interactions with the collaboration of researchers with expertise in protist biology, cyanobacterial ecology, molecular genetics and genomics to examine the range of interactions between protists and cyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus. The investigators propose to use the recent availability of complete genomes and molecular genetics tools to determine the key cell structures under selection by diverse protist grazers. They will use "shot-gun" approaches (transposon mutagenesis and selection) to identify these structures and use available mutants to investigate specific known cell surface structures. They will also examine the role of some potential chemical defense enzymes, found through whole genome comparisons, in deterring grazing. The proposed research will provide qualitative and quantitative information on the role of various grazer deterrence strategies and new paradigms for understanding grazer-prey interactions.Broader Impacts of the Proposed ResearchThe broader impacts of this work will include the training of undergraduate and graduate students, including those from under-represented groups. Scientific findings will be disseminated broadly though participation in national meetings and publication in peer-review journals. The findings may indicate a mechanistic basis for understanding microbe-grazer interactions, one of the major processes determining carbon cycling in the oceans. The investigators expect to define one or more model but ecologically relevant grazer-cyanobacteria pairs that could be used by the community for future studies. In addition, novel marine natural products that affect eukaryotic cells, with possible biotechnological applications, may be found through these activities.

水生环境中微生物最常见的命运就是成为抗议食草动物的食物。因此，水生环境中碳的主要通量是通过微生物-原生生物相互作用介导的。微生物试图避免食草动物的机制可能包括形态，行为和化学抗性策略，但我们对这些的了解是原始的，目前大多数进展都是在有害藻华物种上取得的。从多个蓝藻基因组的可用性的见解之一是，不同的蓝藻有非常不同的细胞表面结构，以及潜在的不同的共同结构的修改。此外，在几个可用的基因组中已经检测到潜在的化学抗性策略。该项目将与具有原生生物学，蓝藻生态学，分子遗传学和基因组学专业知识的研究人员合作，研究原生生物和聚球藻属蓝藻之间的相互作用。研究人员建议使用最近可用的完整基因组和分子遗传学工具来确定不同原生动物草食动物选择下的关键细胞结构。他们将使用“霰弹枪”方法（转座子诱变和选择）来鉴定这些结构，并使用可用的突变体来研究特定的已知细胞表面结构。他们还将研究通过全基因组比较发现的一些潜在的化学防御酶在阻止放牧中的作用。拟议中的研究将提供定性和定量的信息，各种食草动物的威慑战略和新的范式的作用，了解食草动物-猎物interactions.Broader影响的拟议研究这项工作的更广泛的影响将包括本科生和研究生的培训，包括那些代表性不足的群体。将通过参加国家会议和在同行审查期刊上发表的方式广泛传播科学研究结果。这些发现可能为理解微生物-食草动物相互作用提供了一个机械基础，这是决定海洋碳循环的主要过程之一。研究人员希望定义一个或多个模型，但生态相关的食草蓝藻对，可用于社区未来的研究。此外，通过这些活动，可能会发现影响真核细胞的新型海洋天然产品，这些产品可能具有生物技术应用。