NSF-BSF: Live Cellular Immune Mechanisms In Corals Under Heat Stress

珊瑚礁是世界上最重要的海洋栖息地之一。它们对人类健康很重要，因为它们保护海岸线，并为许多沿海和岛屿社区提供粮食和经济安全。尽管这一点非常重要，但由于海水变暖，珊瑚礁正受到威胁。这种珊瑚动物由许多细胞组成，包括免疫细胞和胃真皮细胞。胃皮细胞内有藻类，这种共生关系对维持珊瑚健康很重要。当水温升高时，珊瑚会发生漂白。珊瑚和藻类不再生活在一起。在漂白过程中，珊瑚的免疫系统受到损害，更有可能生病和死亡。因此，这项研究旨在了解珊瑚的免疫系统如何对高温做出反应。这项研究对生物经济很重要：如果知道珊瑚是如何抵御疾病的，那么这些信息就可以用来制造诊断工具来识别患病的珊瑚。我们还可以创造治疗方法来帮助拯救珊瑚。这些工具将保护珊瑚礁，这将保护海岸线，并为美国沿海社区提供食物和经济安全。这项研究使用资金来培训研究生和本科生，包括代表不足的学生。因此，这笔资金正在培养科学领域的下一代领导者。这项研究通过与佛罗里达州迈阿密弗罗斯特科学博物馆的合作，利用资金来教育家庭关于珊瑚的知识。先天免疫和互惠共生是两个基本的重要过程，它们相互关联，但也有相反的生存机制。这方面的一个重要生态例子存在于石珊瑚中。石珊瑚与生俱来的免疫系统在与共生藻--共生藻保持着良好关系的同时，还必须识别潜在的病原体。科学界缺乏关于负责先天免疫反应的珊瑚细胞和/或负责共生的细胞的可塑性和功能的信息。这笔赠款的总体目标是应用一种独特的方法，即荧光激活细胞分选(FACS)来确定免疫细胞和共生菌科相互作用的细胞群体在高温应激和控制条件下的功能。这一建议的总体假设是，珊瑚拥有特殊的免疫细胞群体，这些细胞是吞噬共生科的细胞所特有的。利用流式细胞仪和RNA测序，这个国际团队将确定在控制和热应激条件下分离的珊瑚细胞种群的形态和基因表达。确定免疫细胞在控制和热应激条件下的功能，并确定热应激诱导漂白过程中免疫信号的来源。通过了解这些细胞相互作用，将更好地了解珊瑚免疫系统的细胞机制，特别是在热应激期间。这项研究使用资金来培训研究生和本科生，包括代表不足的学生。因此，这笔资金正在培养科学领域的下一代领导者。这项研究通过与佛罗里达州迈阿密弗罗斯特科学博物馆的合作，利用资金来教育家庭有关珊瑚的知识。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Coral reefs are one of the most important marine habitats in the world. They are important for human health because they protect shorelines, and provide food and economic security for many coastal and island communities. Despite this great importance, coral reefs are under threat due to warming ocean waters. The coral animal consists of many cells including immune cells and gastrodermal cells. Gastrodermal cells have algae that live within them, and this symbiotic relationship is important to maintain coral health. When water temperature increases, coral bleaching occurs. The coral and algae stop living together. During bleaching the coral’s immune system is compromised making it more likely for it to get sick and die. Thus, this research aims to understand how the immune system of corals responds to heat. This research is important for the bioeconomy: if it is known how corals defend against disease, then this information could be used to make diagnostic tools to identify sick corals. We could also create therapeutics to help save corals. These tools would protect coral reefs, which would protect shorelines, and provide food and economic security for coastal communities in the USA. The research uses funding to train graduate and undergraduate students, including under-represented students. As such this funding is training the next generation of leaders in science. The research uses funding to educate families about coral through a partnership with the Miami, Florida Frost Science Museum.Innate immunity and mutualistic symbiosis are two fundamentally important processes that are connected but also opposing mechanisms for survival. An ecologically important example of this exists in stony corals. While also maintaining a beneficial relationship with an endosymbiotic alga, Symbiodiniaceae, stony coral innate immune system must also identify potential pathogens. The scientific community lacks information on the plasticity and function of the coral cells responsible for the innate immune reaction, and/or the cells responsible for symbiosis. The overall goal of this grant is to apply a unique approach, fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) to determine the function of immune cells and Symbiodiniaceae-interacting cell populations in heat stressed and control conditions. The overall hypothesis of this proposal is that corals possess specialized populations of immune cells unique from the cells which engulf the Symbiodiniaceae. Using FACS and RNA sequencing, this international team will determine the morphology and gene expression of isolated coral cell populations under control and heat stress conditions. Determine what the function of immune cells during control and heat stress conditions and determine the source of the immune signal during heat stress induced bleaching. By understanding these cellular interactions, a better understand the cellular mechanisms of the coral immune system, especially during heat stress will be gained. The research uses funding to train graduate and undergraduate students, including under-represented students. As such this funding is training the next generation of leaders in science. The research uses funding to educate families about coral through a partnership with the Miami, Florida Frost Science Museum.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.