LIPID METABOLISM IN SYMBIOTIC COELENTRATES

拟议研究的广泛、长期目标是 表征、量化并确定酰基载体的重要性 共生甲藻生产脂质中的蛋白质 热带海洋腔肠动物（虫黄藻）。 拟议的研究 将检查这些中最重要的生化相互作用之一 共生：通过光合作用固定的碳产生脂质 虫黄藻以及腔肠动物宿主对这种脂质的利用。 共生腔肠动物是被用作模型的简单生物体 研究基本生物医学过程的系统，例如钙化和 组织相容性。 共生腔肠动物也是理想的模型 脂质代谢研究系统。 拟议的研究将集中于 酰基载体蛋白在脂质生产和输出中的作用 来自虫黄藻。 研究的具体目标包括以下内容： A) 游离和酰化酰基载体蛋白水平的测定 并检验脂质合成速率相关的假设 虫黄藻中 ACP 的水平。 B) 确定虫黄藻是否具有 像所有其他已知的单细胞生物一样，ACP 的单一亚型和测试 共生时虫黄藻具有多个 ACP 的假设 同工型。 C) 确定腔肠动物宿主是否可以控制脂质 其共生藻类的新陈代谢并提出以下假设： 环境压力和生殖状况改变 ACP 水平 虫黄藻和虫黄藻衍生脂质的代谢命运。 这个 研究将增加我们对脂质代谢的一般了解 单细胞和多细胞的代谢和交换 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.