Collaborative Research: Host-environment-pathogen interactions in a model coral disease system

合作研究：珊瑚疾病模型系统中宿主-环境-病原体的相互作用

• 批准号: 0961384
• 负责人: Deborah Gochfeld
• 金额: $ 19.85万
• 依托单位: University of Mississippi
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-06-01 至 2014-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0961384&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Host; environment; pathogen

Diseases of marine organisms have emerged as a serious problem contributing to the decline of coral reef resources worldwide. Loss of coral reef habitats carry social and economic implications especially in island states, such as Hawaii, which depend on reefs for food, shoreline protection and tourism. Our ability to manage coral diseases is hampered by a lack of knowledge of which environmental variables affect disease, mechanisms of host defense, and the etiology of most of the numerous described coral diseases. The PIs of this project discovered a coral disease system that can be used as a model to explore many components of the host-environment-pathogen triangle of disease causation. Montipora white syndrome (MWS) is an infectious disease that results in progressive tissue loss on colonies of Montipora capitata, and has been found on reefs throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. It is particularly prevalent in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, which has a long history of reduced water quality, and this suboptimal environment sets the stage where host-pathogen interactions occur. In Kaneohe Bay, M. capitata is a major reef-building species, and is found in two color morphs (red and orange) that harbor different clades of zooxanthellae. During preliminary surveys, the PIs discovered intraspecific variability in response to MWS between color morphs. Although the red morph was dominant within survey transects (80% of the colonies), the orange morph was disproportionately affected by MWS (70% of the affected colonies). Microbial studies found a shift in bacterial communities on MWS-affected and healthy M. capitata and allowed identification of potential pathogens. Numerous bacterial strains were cultured and screened for pathogenicity and three strains, which produced lesions, were identified as potential pathogens. Two of the putative pathogens (Vibrio spp.) produced diffuse tissue whereas the other bacterial strain (Pseudoalteromonas sp.) produced acute tissue loss. In the field, the PIs also observed two patterns of tissue loss on M. capitata; a slow, chronic pattern of tissue loss, which they followed through time with tagged colonies (chronic MWS), but also a rapid onset of acute tissue loss (acute MWS). Thus they discovered an infectious coral disease that results in significant coral mortality that has the unique component of differences in disease susceptibility among color morphs. The PIs identified three potential bacterial pathogens that will be used to investigate underlying factors affecting the coral-environment-pathogen triad of disease causation. The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) is located within Kaneohe Bay allowing year-round access to reefs for research on Montipora white syndrome. The goal of this project is to investigate the host- environment-pathogen triangle of disease causation for Montipora white syndrome. The objectives of this research will be to: 1) investigate mechanisms contributing to differential disease resistance in red (less susceptible) vs. orange (more susceptible) morphs of M. capitata. The PIs will compare antimicrobial activity in the holobiont, mucus and mucus-associated bacteria of the two color morphs of M. capitata, and will compare the natural coral-associated microbial flora between the two color morphs; 2) use manipulative aquarium studies to determine whether environmental stressors (elevated temperature, nutrient stress) differentially affect the progression or transmission efficiency of MWS in red vs. orange morphs of M. capitata; 3) use challenge experiments to confirm the role of bacterial pathogens as causative agents of MWS, and to determine the response of red vs. orange morphs of M. capitata to three putative pathogens. This project will involve a multidisciplinary team to provide a broader perspective of coral disease processes. This will be the first comprehensive study conducted on a coral disease in Hawaii.Broader impacts and integration of research/education will consist of multidisciplinary, hands-on research experiences for graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Hawaii and the University of Mississippi. Both universities have diverse student bodies and large complements of minority students. The UM graduate student will also have the opportunity to contribute to the fieldwork in Hawaii. Information from this project will be integrated into general biology classes at UH West Oahu and microbiology classes at UH Manoa, both of which serve native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. This project will provide opportunities for undergraduate students from Pacific Islands to experience research through the Undergraduate Research Mentoring (URM) program sponsored at UH. K-12 education will include integration of these results into classes for high school students participating in the PaCES/B-WET Summer Environmental Science Program for high school students coordinated through HIMB each summer. It will also be used for training students through the He'e Nalu, an environmental science program for at-risk youth. In Mississippi, the public will be informed through the Central Gulf of Mexico Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) and J.L. Scott Marine Education Center.

海洋生物的疾病已成为导致全世界珊瑚礁资源减少的一个严重问题。珊瑚礁生境的丧失会带来社会和经济影响，特别是在岛屿国家，如夏威夷，这些国家依靠珊瑚礁提供食物、海岸线保护和旅游业。我们管理珊瑚疾病的能力受到阻碍，缺乏知识的环境变量影响疾病，宿主防御机制，以及大多数的众多描述的珊瑚疾病的病因。该项目的PI发现了一个珊瑚疾病系统，可用作模型来探索疾病因果关系的宿主-环境-病原体三角的许多组成部分。Montipora白色综合征（MWS）是一种导致Montipora capitata菌落进行性组织损失的传染病，已在整个夏威夷群岛的珊瑚礁上发现。这是特别普遍的卡内奥赫湾，俄勒冈州，其中有一个长期的历史，水质下降，这种次优的环境设置的阶段，主机-病原体相互作用发生。在卡内奥赫湾，M. capitata是一种主要的造礁物种，有两种颜色变体（红色和橙子），含有不同的虫黄藻分支。 在初步调查中，PI发现了种内变异性，以响应MWS之间的颜色变体。虽然红色形态占主导地位的调查断面（80%的殖民地），橙子形态不成比例地受到MWS（70%的受影响的殖民地）。微生物研究发现，在MWS影响和健康的M。capitata，并允许识别潜在的病原体。大量的细菌菌株进行了培养和筛选的致病性和三个菌株，产生病变，被确定为潜在的病原体。两种假定的病原体（弧菌属）产生弥散组织，而另一种细菌菌株（假交替单胞菌属（Pseudoalteromonas sp.））造成了急性组织缺损在现场，PI还观察到M上的两种组织缺损模式。capitata;一种缓慢、慢性的组织损失模式，他们随着时间的推移使用标记的菌落（慢性MWS），但也会快速发生急性组织损失（急性MWS）。因此，他们发现了一种传染性珊瑚疾病，导致显着的珊瑚死亡率，具有独特的组成部分，在疾病的易感性之间的颜色变体。PI确定了三种潜在的细菌病原体，将用于调查影响珊瑚-环境-病原体三联体疾病病因的潜在因素。夏威夷海洋生物研究所（HIMB）位于卡内奥赫湾，全年都可以进入珊瑚礁进行Montipora白色综合征的研究。该项目的目标是调查表孔菌白色综合症的宿主-环境-病原体三角病因。本研究的主要目的是：1）研究红、橙子型小麦品种抗病性差异的机制。capitata。PI将比较M的两种颜色变体在全生物、粘液和粘液相关细菌中的抗菌活性。capitata，并将比较两种颜色变体之间的天然珊瑚相关微生物植物群; 2）使用操纵性水族箱研究来确定环境应激源（升高的温度、营养物应激）是否对M的红色变体与橙子变体中的MWS的进展或传播效率有差异地影响。capitata; 3）通过攻毒实验确定病原菌作为MWS病原体的作用，并确定红色和橙子形态M的反应。capitata到三个假定的病原体。该项目将涉及一个多学科小组，以提供更广泛的珊瑚疾病过程的视角。这将是对夏威夷珊瑚病进行的第一次全面研究。更广泛的影响和研究/教育的一体化将包括来自夏威夷大学和密西西比大学的研究生和本科生的多学科、实践研究经验。这两所大学都有不同的学生团体和大量的少数民族学生。UM研究生也将有机会为夏威夷的实地考察做出贡献。来自这个项目的信息将被整合到UH West Oakland的普通生物学课程和UH Manoa的微生物学课程中，这两个课程都为夏威夷土著人和太平洋岛民服务。该项目将为来自太平洋岛屿的本科生提供机会，通过UH赞助的本科生研究指导（URM）计划体验研究。K-12教育将包括将这些结果纳入高中学生参加PaCES/B-WET夏季环境科学计划的课程，该计划每年夏天通过HIMB为高中学生协调。它还将用于通过He 'e Nalu培训学生，这是一个针对高危青年的环境科学项目。在密西西比，公众将通过墨西哥湾中部海洋科学教育卓越中心（COSEE）和J.L.斯科特海洋教育中心。