A Novel Galectin Type as a Surface Receptor for Intracellular Parasites

牡蛎被赋予了有效的免疫机制，可以成功地对抗大多数传染病。然而，原动物寄生虫滨海波金苏斯（Perkinsus marinus）会引起牡蛎的皮肤病，并导致牡蛎数量的灾难性下降，破坏北美大西洋和墨西哥湾沿岸的河口生态系统。在无脊椎动物和脊椎动物物种中，微生物病原体的识别部分是通过被称为凝集素的碳水化合物结合蛋白实现的。最近发现了一种凝集素（CvGal），它可以与致病菌、微藻和寄生虫P. marinus结合，这使得人们假设CvGal代表了一种识别病原体和藻类食物的机制，而这种防御和摄食机制被P. marinus破坏以进入宿主。该项目将通过表征牡蛎中的CvGal和其他相关蛋白，并研究CvGal在免疫防御、摄食和宿主-寄生虫相互作用中的生物学作用来验证这一假设。通过对CvGal和其他凝集素在牡蛎中的深入研究，将对凝集素在免疫和摄食功能中的生物学功能有新的认识，并对医学和兽医相关的细胞内寄生虫的进入机制有更深入的了解。鉴于牡蛎疾病的区域相关性，该项目可能有助于新的干预策略，以恢复自然和养殖牡蛎种群。牡蛎也非常适合在课堂上整合免疫识别和宿主-寄生虫生物学的基本科学原理。该项目将涉及来自巴尔的摩地区的本科生、高中生和教师，主要来自代表性不足的少数民族，通过与海洋生物技术中心的附属教育项目sciitech的合作伙伴关系，以及诸如专家（NSF）、切萨皮克教师研究奖学金（NOAA）、生活教室、独创性、巴尔的摩社区学院、以及霍华德县和巴尔的摩县的指导项目。

The oyster is endowed with efficient immune mechanisms that are successful in fighting most infectious diseases. The protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus, however, causes Dermo disease in oysters and is responsible for the catastrophic decline of oyster populations and damage to the estuarine ecosystem along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. In invertebrate and vertebrate species, recognition of microbial pathogens is achieved in part by carbohydrate-binding proteins named lectins. The recent discovery of a lectin (CvGal) that binds to pathogenic bacteria, microalgae, and the parasite P. marinus, has led to the hypothesis that CvGal represent a mechanism for recognition of pathogens and algal food, and that this defense and feeding mechanism is subverted by P. marinus to gain entry into the host. This project will test this hypothesis by characterizing CvGal and other related proteins in the oyster and investigating the biological role(s) of CvGal within the context of immune defense, feeding, and host-parasite interactions. By thoroughly investigating CvGal and other galectins in the oyster, novel insight will be gained into yet undescribed biological functions of lectins in immune and feeding functions, and a more thorough understanding of entry mechanisms of intracellular parasites of medical and veterinary relevance. Given the regional relevance of oyster disease, this project may contribute to novel intervention strategies to restore natural and farmed oyster populations. The oyster is also well suited for classroom integration of fundamental scientific principles of immune recognition and host-parasite biology. This project will involve the participation of undergraduates and high school students and teachers mostly from underrepresented minorities from the Baltimore area, both as interns at the bench and in the classroom, through partnerships with SciTech, an affiliated educational program located at the Center of Marine Biotechnology, and training programs such as ExPERT (NSF), Chesapeake Teacher Research Fellowship (NOAA), Living Classrooms, Ingenuity, Baltimore Community College, and mentorship programs from Howard and Baltimore Counties.