EAGER: Environmental signals in a marine diatom

EAGER：海洋硅藻中的环境信号

基本信息

批准号：
1558128
负责人：
Paul Falkowski
金额：
$ 29.84万
依托单位：
Rutgers University New Brunswick
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2016
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2016-01-15 至 2017-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1558128&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
EAGER Environmental signals marine diatom

项目摘要

Diatoms are microscopic aquatic organisms that are collectively responsible for approximately 20% of the photosynthetic activity on Earth. However, little is known of the response of these important organisms to changes in their environment. The primary goal of this project is to understand how these organisms sense the environment and alter their physiology to optimize their growth and productivity. This project will develop important novel tools that are anticipated to be of broad value to the research field, and will elucidate the mechanisms by which changes in the environment influence cell physiology. It will provide research opportunities for undergraduates and advance public science education. This project will elucidate how simple environmental signals lead to rapid and reversible physiological responses in a model marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The signal transduction pathways that facilitate these responses are virtually unknown. The hypothesis will be tested that retrograde signals emanating from the electron transport system in the plastid are the primary means by which diatoms translate environmental signals into nuclear gene expression, leading to reversible physiological responses. Based on a bioinformatics analysis, a reverse genetics approach will initially be used to target five genes hypothesized to represent major components of the retrograde signal transduction system in diatoms. The project will utilize a rapid and robust gene-editing approach based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, combined with a technique based on self-processing ribozyme sequences that flank the guide RNA to target the genes encoding the putative signal transduction proteins.

硅藻是微观的水生生物，统称大约20％的地球光合作用活性。但是，这些重要生物对环境变化的反应知之甚少。该项目的主要目标是了解这些生物如何感知环境并改变其生理学以优化其生长和生产力。该项目将开发重要的新颖工具，这些新工具预计将对研究领域具有广泛的价值，并将阐明环境变化影响细胞生理的机制。它将为大学生提供研究机会，并提高公共科学教育。该项目将阐明在模型的海洋硅藻三角肌模型中，简单的环境信号如何导致快速和可逆的生理反应。促进这些响应的信号转导途径实际上是未知的。该假设将测试是，从质体中电子传输系统发出的逆行信号是硅藻将环境信号转化为核基因表达的主要手段，从而导致可逆的生理反应。基于生物信息学分析，最初将使用一种反向遗传学方法来靶向五个假设的基因，以代表硅藻中逆行信号转导系统的主要成分。该项目将利用基于CRISPR/CAS9技术的快速且健壮的基因编辑方法，再加上基于自我处理的核酶序列的技术，该技术将指导RNA侧翼靶向编码推定信号转导蛋白的基因。