Evolution of resistance to pain-inducing neurotoxins: the bark scorpion-grasshopper mouse system.

对引起疼痛的神经毒素的抵抗力的进化：树皮蝎子-蚱蜢小鼠系统。

• 批准号: 1448393
• 负责人: Ashlee Rowe
• 金额: $ 11.44万
• 依托单位: Michigan State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-04-17 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1448393&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolution; resistance; pain; inducing; neurotoxins

Understanding the molecular changes by which organisms adapt to their environments is a central theme of evolutionary biology. With the pace of environmental change quickening due to loss of habitat worldwide and accelerated global climate change, and the exposure of humans to previously unencountered pathogens (such as HIV), the processes of molecular evolution are key to our survival and the survival of many organisms on this planet.This project will study the evolution of resistance to scorpion venom, in ion channels, of desert-dwelling grasshopper mice. Grasshopper mice prey on scorpions and, when stung, show no adverse effects to scorpion venoms that cause intense pain and/or kill other mammals their size. This proposal will focus on the molecular evolution of a sodium ion-channel gene that is expressed in pain-sensing neurons. Species and individual differences in pain sensitivity of grasshopper mice to scorpion venom will be studied on the genetic, physiological and molecular levels, and the consequences of these differences for the behavior and ecology of these unique mice will be determined. This project will also gain further understanding of how the nervous system processes painful stimuli. This project represents a partnership between the University of Texas, a major research university, and Sam Houston State University, a non-PhD granting institution with many students from underrepresented groups. We will recruit undergraduates from both institutions, focusing on underrepresented minorities. Additionally, this project will produce a videotape on co-evolution with the bark scorpion-grasshopper mouse system as an example of how animals make a living in the harsh desert environment. The videotape will be featured in an exhibit at the Texas Memorial Museum. Finally, our previous work on this system has already attracted interest from the media and there are plans for it to be highlighted in a National Geographic television special.

了解生物体适应环境的分子变化是进化生物学的中心主题。随着全球范围内栖息地丧失和全球气候变化加速导致的环境变化速度加快，以及人类暴露在以前从未遇到过的病原体(如艾滋病毒)中，分子进化过程是我们生存和地球上许多生物生存的关键。本项目将研究沙漠生活的蚱蜢鼠对蝎子毒液离子通道的抗性进化。蚱蜢鼠捕食蝎子，当被叮咬时，对蝎子毒液没有不良影响，蝎子毒液会引起强烈的疼痛和/或杀死其他大小的哺乳动物。这项建议将集中在在痛觉神经元中表达的钠离子通道基因的分子进化上。将从遗传、生理和分子水平上研究蝗虫小鼠对蝎子毒素疼痛敏感度的物种和个体差异，并将确定这些差异对这些独特的小鼠行为和生态的影响。这个项目还将进一步了解神经系统如何处理痛苦的刺激。这个项目代表了主要研究型大学德克萨斯大学和山姆·休斯顿州立大学之间的合作伙伴关系，萨姆·休斯顿州立大学是一家非博士授予机构，许多学生来自代表性不足的群体。我们将从这两所院校招收本科生，重点是代表性不足的少数族裔。此外，该项目还将制作一盘关于与树皮蝎子-蚱蜢老鼠系统共同进化的录像带，作为动物如何在恶劣的沙漠环境中谋生的例子。这盘录像带将在德克萨斯纪念博物馆的一个展览中展出。最后，我们之前在这个系统上的工作已经引起了媒体的兴趣，并计划在国家地理电视台的一个特别节目中突出它。