MO: Functional Genomic Investigations of Dissolved Organic Carbon Cyling at the Sapelo Island Microbial Observatory

MO：萨佩洛岛微生物观测站溶解有机碳循环的功能基因组研究

• 批准号: 0702125
• 负责人: Mary Ann Moran
• 金额: $ 125.01万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-09-15 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0702125&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MO; Functional; Genomic; Investigations; Dissolved

Degradation by marine bacteria of the organic carbon dissolved in coastal seawater is a major process in the ocean carbon cycle. However, the details of this important process seem hopelessly complex. The thousands of distinct compounds that make up this dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool and the thousands of bacterial species that participate in its metabolism are largely unknown to science, and this greatly impedes efforts to understand the fate of carbon in coastal oceans. In turn, this hinders development of predictive models of carbon cycling in a changing ocean. Overcoming this impediment requires an environmental functional genomics approach. This project will use gene expression patterns in bacterial communities at the Sapelo Island, GA LTER site to identify the components of terrestrial- and marine-derived organic matter that are assimilated and metabolized in the coastal ocean. By sequencing expressed genes directly from seawater at times when ecosystem inputs are the most distinct, the patterns of DOC supply and flux will be discerned. Expression studies of model bacterial strains cultured from coastal communities will be used to identify the biochemical pathways for metabolism of individual carbon compounds and determine the compounds that are preferentially transported and metabolized from the marine DOC pool. The Sapelo Island Microbial Observatory project will improve understanding of the role of land-margin ecosystems in the global carbon cycle, addressing how cellular-level activities mediated by bacteria affect major biogeochemical processes. It will provide opportunities for interdisciplinary training in microbial biogeochemistry and ecological genomics to students and postdoctoral associates, and will sponsor a research experience in microbial biology for promising high school biology students, broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in science. This project will develop novel informatics approaches for microbial ecologists that couple molecular sequence data with environmental context information, and will openly share databases and bioinformatics tools with the scientific community.

海洋细菌对近海海水中溶解有机碳的降解是海洋碳循环的一个重要过程。然而，这一重要进程的细节似乎复杂得令人绝望。 构成溶解有机碳（DOC）库的数千种不同化合物以及参与其代谢的数千种细菌物种在很大程度上是科学未知的，这极大地阻碍了了解沿海海洋碳命运的努力。反过来，这阻碍了在不断变化的海洋中开发碳循环预测模型。 克服这一障碍需要环境功能基因组学方法。 该项目将利用GA LTER站点Sapelo岛细菌群落的基因表达模式来确定在沿海海洋中被同化和代谢的陆地和海洋来源的有机物质的组成部分。在生态系统输入最明显的时候，通过直接从海水中测序表达的基因，将辨别DOC供应和通量的模式。从沿海社区培养的模式菌株的表达研究将被用来确定单个碳化合物的代谢的生化途径，并确定优先从海洋DOC池运输和代谢的化合物。萨佩洛岛微生物观测站项目将提高对陆地边缘生态系统在全球碳循环中的作用的了解，解决细菌介导的细胞水平活动如何影响主要生物地球化学过程。它将为学生和博士后提供微生物生物化学和生态基因组学的跨学科培训机会，并将为有前途的高中生物学学生提供微生物生物学研究经验，扩大代表性不足的群体对科学的参与。该项目将为微生物生态学家开发新的信息学方法，将分子序列数据与环境背景信息结合起来，并将与科学界开放共享数据库和生物信息学工具。