Interaction of the Xenopus Immune System with an Emerging Ranavirus Pathogen

非洲爪蟾免疫系统与新兴蛙病毒病原体的相互作用

• 批准号: 0923772
• 负责人: Jacques Robert
• 金额: $ 78.44万
• 依托单位: University of Rochester
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-15 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0923772&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Interaction; Xenopus; Immune; System; Emerging

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Jacques RobertIOS-0923772Interaction of The Xenopus Immune System With An Emerging Ranavirus PathogeniAmphibians are undergoing a world-wide decline; certain species are becoming extinct. We know that die-offs of some species are associated with certain viral pathogens, but we do not know why their immune systems are not protecting them. If amphibian die-offs partially reflect natural or man-made environmental changes that are immunosuppressive, awareness of these environmental factors are necessary to re-establish ecological balance for the health of man and frogs, alike. This project uses the frog Xenopus as a laboratory model to continue to investigate the mechanisms of viral immunity at the molecular, cellular and whole organism level. The investigators will examine in detail the role of T cells in protecting the frog against subsequent infections. The importance of immune surveillance will also be evaluated in the whole organism by generating transgenic frogs and over-expressing important immune genes. Finally, the dual roles of immune cells of the peritoneal cavity in helping the host immune response as well as serving as permissive viral reservoir allowing covert infection will be investigated. This project will contribute to a better fundamental understanding of the evolution of viral immunity. It will provide the closest and most realistic assessment of the importance of host immunity as a susceptibility factor contributing in emerging viral diseases in general, and in the global decline of amphibians, in particular. This study may also provide practical methods to probe viral infection in wild population of amphibians. Understanding the causes of amphibian decline is of public interest, and may reveal pratical ways to protect endangered amphibian species from infectious agents. Finally, this project will offer opportunity for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, including underrepresented minorities, to study fundamental immunology in the context of viral diseases, and to learn modern molecular and cellular techniques.

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。雅克·罗伯特IOS-0923772非洲爪蟾免疫系统与一种新出现的Ranavirus病原体的相互作用两栖动物正在经历一个世界范围内的下降;某些物种正在灭绝。我们知道某些物种的死亡与某些病毒病原体有关，但我们不知道为什么它们的免疫系统没有保护它们。 如果两栖动物的死亡部分反映了自然或人为的免疫抑制环境变化，那么对这些环境因素的认识对于重建人类和青蛙健康的生态平衡是必要的。本计画以非洲爪蟾蛙为实验室模型，继续从分子、细胞及整体生物体水平探讨病毒免疫的机制。研究人员将详细研究T细胞在保护青蛙免受后续感染中的作用。免疫监视的重要性也将通过产生转基因青蛙和过表达重要的免疫基因在整个生物体中进行评估。最后，将研究腹腔免疫细胞在帮助宿主免疫应答以及作为允许隐蔽感染的容许病毒储库中的双重作用。该项目将有助于更好地了解病毒免疫的进化。它将提供最接近和最现实的评估宿主免疫力的重要性，作为一个易感因素，在新出现的病毒性疾病，特别是在全球两栖动物的下降。本研究也为两栖类野生种群中病毒感染的检测提供了实用的方法。了解两栖动物减少的原因是公众利益，并可能揭示保护濒危两栖动物物种免受传染性病原体侵害的实用方法。最后，该项目将为高中生、本科生和研究生提供机会，包括代表性不足的少数民族，在病毒性疾病的背景下学习基础免疫学，并学习现代分子和细胞技术。