Red Algae: A New Model for the Evolution of Parasitism

寄生生物在地球上每一个主要的生命谱系中都独立进化，然而我们对从自由生活到寄生的转变知之甚少。红藻寄生虫是研究寄生生命策略起源的理想模式生物，因为大多数红藻寄生虫与自由生活的红藻物种有着直接的共同祖先。因此，一对生物体可以提供关于寄生虫进化早期发生的遗传变化的直接比较数据。这个项目将描述三个物种对宿主及其寄生虫的共同进化关系，然后确定寄生策略对它们基因组的影响。这项研究将提供与处理一些最具破坏性的真核病原体和寄生虫相关的信息(例如，疟疾、弓形虫病、橡树猝死和爱尔兰土豆饥荒的原因)。此外，红藻是全世界海洋和淡水栖息地的重要参与者，也是沿海底栖群落的主要成员。这项研究将涉及本科生、研究生和博士后研究员的培养。URI非常成功的由国家科学基金会赞助的路易斯·斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟(LSAMP)计划将用于招聘本科生和研究生研究人员。

Parasitic organisms have independently evolved in every major lineage of life on Earth, however we know very little about the transition from free-living to parasite. Red algal parasites are ideal model organisms for investigating the origins of a parasitic life-strategy because most red algal parasites share an immediate common ancestor with a free-living red algal species. Therefore, a single pair of organisms can provide direct comparative data on the genetic changes occurring early in the evolution of a parasite. This project will characterize the co-evolutionary relationship from three species pairs of hosts and their parasites, then establish the effect of a parasitic strategy on their genomes This study will provide information relevant to dealing with some of the most damaging eukaryotic pathogens and parasites (e.g. , the causes of malaria, toxoplasmosis, sudden oak death, and the Irish Potato Famine). Additionally, red algae are important players in marine and freshwater habitats throughout the world and are among the dominant members of the benthic coastal community. This study will involve the training of undergraduates, a graduate student, and a postdoctoral fellow. URI's highly successful NSF-sponsored Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program will be used to recruit undergraduate and graduate researchers.