OCE-PRF: Carbon dioxide, pH and bicarbonate sensing pathways in reef-building corals and regulation of homeostasis in response to ocean acidification

研究人员将研究造礁珊瑚如何感知周围海水中pH值变化的细胞机制，以及这一途径的调节如何影响珊瑚对海洋酸化(OA)的生理反应。该项目建立在最近的一项发现基础上，即在珊瑚中表达了一种碳酸氢盐(HCO3-)感应酶(可溶性腺苷环化酶[SAC])，该酶参与调节脊椎动物的pH动态平衡。这种酶产生cAMP，这是一种在从细菌到哺乳动物的有机体中使用的通用信使分子。研究人员的假设是，SAC途径通过产生cAMP参与珊瑚的pH感知和pH动态平衡的调节。珊瑚囊受到与珊瑚生理相关的HCO3-浓度的刺激，而SAC活性和调节的差异将影响珊瑚对OA的生理反应。为了验证她的假设，研究人员将：1.表征SAC途径的活性和表达及其在多种珊瑚物种中对CO2、HCO3-和pH的响应；2.确定SAC途径如何影响珊瑚生理，包括维持pH动态平衡、呼吸作用、光合作用和钙化；3.确定长期暴露在预期的OA条件下如何影响珊瑚中SAC途径的调节，以及这些差异如何影响珊瑚生理。该项目的更广泛影响包括在圣地亚哥桦树水族馆制作一个双语多媒体展览，展示海洋酸化的重要性及其对海洋环境的影响，接触到大量拉丁裔人口，并指导两名女博士生和本科生。该项目得到美国国家科学基金会海洋科学博士后研究奖学金(OCE PRF)计划的支持，旨在支持早期职业科学家的创新研究，并增加美国海洋科学劳动力和研究社区的多样性。在海洋科学和可持续发展基金的支持下，该项目将使有前途的早期职业研究人员能够从事与海洋科学有关的独立研究事业，并扩大未被充分代表的群体在海洋科学领域的参与。

The investigator will study the cellular mechanisms of how reef-building corals sense changes in pH in the surrounding seawater and how the regulation of this pathway affects coral physiological responses to ocean acidification (OA). This project builds on the recent discovery that a bicarbonate (HCO3-) sensing enzyme (soluble adenylyl cyclase [sAC]) involved in the regulation of pH homeostasis in vertebrates is expressed in corals. This enzyme produces cAMP, a universal messenger molecule used in organisms from bacteria to mammals. The investigator's hypothesis is that the sAC pathway is involved in coral pH sensing and regulation of pH homeostasis through the production of cAMP. Coral sAC is stimulated in response to HCO3- concentrations relevant to coral physiology, and differences in sAC activity and regulation will affect coral physiological responses to OA. To test her hypothesis, the investigator will: 1. Characterize the activity and expression of the sAC pathway and its response to CO2, HCO3- and pH in multiple coral species, 2. Determine how the sAC pathway affects coral physiology, including maintenance of pH homeostasis, respiration, photosynthesis, and calcification, 3. Determine how chronic exposure to projected OA conditions affect the regulation of the sAC pathway in corals and how these differences affect coral physiology. The broader impacts of the project include developing a bilingual, multimedia exhibit showcasing the significance of ocean acidification and its effects on the marine environment at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego, reaching a large Latino population, and mentoring two female doctoral students and undergraduates. This project is supported under the NSF Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (OCE PRF) program, with goals to support novel research by early career scientists and increase the diversity of the U.S. ocean sciences workforce and research community. With OCE-PRF support, this project will enable a promising early career researcher to establish themselves in an independent research career related to ocean sciences and broaden participation of under-represented groups in the ocean sciences.