RUI: Marine Vampire microbiome Project (MVP): Blood-feeding marine invertebrates, and their bacterial accomplices

涉及两个或两个以上物种的共生伙伴关系在自然界中广泛存在。一种类型的共生是动物与其微生物组之间的共生。很明显，微生物对包括人类在内的大多数动物的成功至关重要，如果没有这些共生细菌，许多饮食策略就不可能实现。吸血的海洋无脊椎动物与以鱼和鲨鱼的血液为食的许多障碍相抗衡。血液是很难分解的食物。它是有毒的，它提供了一个营养不足的饮食。几乎所有动物消化系统中的细菌在营养物质的交换和食物的消化中起着关键作用，从而有助于宿主的成功和生存。然而，几乎没有人知道内部细菌对吸血海洋无脊椎动物成功生存的作用。该研究结合了各种分子，成像和实验方法，以检查内部细菌是否对这种不寻常的海洋寄生虫的成功产生积极影响。吸血动物的重要性不仅在于它们与微生物的潜在共生关系，还在于它们作为病原体载体的能力以及它们对鱼类种群造成的危害。与该项目相结合的是为本科生提供的研究机会，以及大学水平课程的扩展，其中包括积极的探索，包括当代分子和成像技术。发现和阐明共生微生物对动物成功的作用是一个重要的研究领域。持续存在的细菌被认为在宿主适应特定的生态位中起着至关重要的作用，否则将无法获得，包括无脊椎寄生虫作为营养来源的血液的独家消费。该项目将研究细菌在所有已知的吸血海洋无脊椎动物中的流行情况，细菌在特定动物组织中的定植和居住情况，以及细菌可能发挥的营养作用。初步证据表明，海洋“吸血鬼”和弧菌之间的关联，以及这种特殊的海洋细菌作为仅基于血液的饮食的必要教唆者的可能进化趋同，通过饮食分解，营养补充和/或血红素解毒。将从南加州沿海沃茨收集海洋吸血动物，随后进行活体动物操作，高通量DNA和RNA测序分析，结合荧光，电子和激光捕获显微镜，以阐明以前未被充分认识的吸血海洋无脊椎动物和有益细菌之间的联盟。这个项目将有助于了解内部细菌在适应特定饮食方面的作用，并将有助于共生领域不断增长的知识基础-从细胞生物学（与宿主细胞代谢的共生整合）到生态学（遗传上不同的生物体之间的相互作用和两者的生态位扩张）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Symbiotic partnerships involving two or more species are widespread in nature. One type of symbiosis is between an animal and its microbiome. It is clear that microbes are supremely important to the success of most animals, including humans, and that many dietary strategies would not be possible without these symbiotic bacteria. Blood-feeding marine invertebrates contend with numerous obstacles associated with feeding on the blood of fish and sharks. Blood is a difficult meal to breakdown. It is toxic, and it provides a nutritionally-deficient diet. Bacteria in the digestive systems of nearly all animals examined play critical roles in the exchange of nutrients and digestion of food, and thus contribute to success and survival of the host. However, virtually nothing is known about the role of internal bacteria on the successful survival of blood-feeding marine invertebrates. The research combines a variety of molecular, imaging, and experimental approaches to examine whether internal bacteria positively influence the success of this unusual group of marine parasites. Blood-feeding animals are not only important to study because of their potential symbiotic relationships with microbes, but because of their ability to act as vectors for pathogens, and the harm they cause to fish stocks. Integrated with this project are research opportunities for undergraduates, and the expansion of a college-level course that incorporates active exploration, including contemporary molecular and imaging techniques. The discovery and elucidation of the role of symbiotic microorganisms to animal success is an important area of research. Persistent bacterial presence is believed to play an essential role in host adaptation to specific niches that would otherwise be unavailable, including the exclusive consumption of blood as a source of nutrition by invertebrate parasites. This project will examine the prevalence of bacteria in all categories of known blood-feeding marine invertebrates, the colonization and residence by bacteria of specific animal tissues, and the possible nutritional role fulfilled by the bacteria. Preliminary evidence suggests an association between marine ‘vampires’ and Vibrio bacteria, and a possible evolutionary convergence of this particular marine bacterium as an essential abettor for a diet based solely on blood, by either diet breakdown, nutrient supplementation and/or heme detoxification. Marine blood-feeders will be collected from southern California coastal waters, with subsequent live animal manipulations, high throughput DNA and RNA sequencing analysis combined with fluorescence, electron and laser capture microscopy, to elucidate previously under-appreciated alliances between blood-feeding marine invertebrates and beneficial bacteria. This project will facilitate understanding of the role of internal bacteria on adaptation to specific diets, and will contribute to the growing knowledge base of the field of symbiosis – from cellular biology (symbiotic integration with host cell metabolism) to ecology (interactions between genetically distinct organisms and niche expansion for both).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.