LIPID METABOLISM IN SYMBIOTIC COELENTRATES

拟议研究的广泛、长期目标是 表征、量化和确定酰基载体的意义 甲藻共生产脂中的蛋白质 热带海洋腔肠动物的(虫黄藻目)。拟议的研究 将研究这些生物化学中最重要的相互作用之一 共生体：由光合作用固定的碳生产脂肪的过程 虫黄藻和腔肠宿主对这种脂的利用。 共生腔肠动物是一种简单的生物，已被用作模型 研究基本生物医学过程的系统，如钙化和 组织相容性。共生的腔肠动物也是理想的模式 研究脂类代谢的系统。拟议的研究将集中于 酰基载体蛋白在脂类生产和输出中的作用 来自虫黄藻属。研究的具体目标包括： A)测定游离和酰化的酰基载体蛋白的水平 并验证了这样一种假设，即脂质合成的速度将与 与虫黄藻中ACP的水平有关。B)确定虫黄杆菌是否有 与所有其他已知的单细胞生物一样，ACP的单一异构体和测试 当共生时，虫黄藻有多个ACP的假设 异构体。C)确定腔肠动物宿主是否能控制脂质 其共生藻类的新陈代谢，并验证了假设 环境应激和生殖状况改变大鼠ACP水平 虫黄藻和虫黄藻衍生脂类的代谢命运。这 研究将增加我们对这两种脂肪代谢的总体理解 以及单细胞和多细胞的代谢交换 有机体。

The broad, long-term objectives of the proposed research are to characterize, quantify and determine the significance of acyl-carrier proteins in the production of lipids by the symbiotic dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) of tropical marine coelenterates. The proposed research will examine one of the most important biochemical interactions in these symbioses: the production of lipid from carbon photosynthetically fixed by zooxanthellae and the utilization of this lipid by the coelenterate host. Symbiotic coelenterates are simple organisms that have been used as model systems to study basic biomedical processes, such as calcification and histocompatibility. Symbiotic coelenterates are also and ideal model system for the study of lipid metabolism. The proposed research will focus on the role of acyl-carrier proteins in the production and export of lipid from zooxanthellae. Specific aims of the research include the following: A) Determination of the levels of free and acylated acyl-carrier proteins and testing the hypothesis that rates of lipid synthesis will correlate with level of ACP in the zooxanthellae. B) Determine if zooxanthellae have single isoforms of ACP like all other known unicellular organisms and test the hypothesis that when in symbiosis zooxanthellae have multiple ACP isoforms. C) Determine if the coelenterate host can control the lipid metabolism of its symbiotic algae and teat the hypotheses that environmental stress and reproductive status alter levels of ACP in zooxanthellae and the metabolic fate of zooxanthellae-derived lipids. This research will increase our general understanding of both lipid metabolism and metabolic interchange in unicellular as well as multicellular organisms.