Functional Genomics and Mosquito Innate Immunity

描述(申请人提供)：在我的研究生学习期间，我将在基本生物学原理和技术的基础上再接再厉，以便利用生化、遗传学、细胞和分子技术来了解蚊子宿主与其传播的病原体之间的关系。蚊子对寄生虫具有抵抗力或易感性的机制在很大程度上尚不清楚。我的研究兴趣源于对宿主和病原体中发生的事情缺乏单独和合作的知识。我将使用对蚊子信天翁所做的初步工作，作为了解先天免疫系统反应的细胞方面的基础，重点是血细胞。此外，我将使用现有的EST数据集，从免疫激活的血细胞cDNA文库中获得，对这种宿主的转录组进行功能基因组评估，以及它如何对寄生虫感染做出反应。这将作为比较研究的基础，并使人们能够更好地理解媒介能力的含义以及驱动先天性免疫反应的成分和机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During my graduate study, I will build on the foundation of basic biological principles and techniques in order to utilize biochemical, genetic, cellular and molecular techniques to understand the relationship between the mosquito host and the pathogens it transmits. The mechanism by which mosquitoes function to either be resistant or susceptible to parasites is largely unknown. My research interests stem from this lack of knowledge of what is occurring in the host and pathogen, individually and cooperatively. I will use preliminary work done with the mosquito Armigeres subalbatus, as a basis for understanding the cellular aspects of the innate immune system response, with emphasis on hemocytes. Also, I will use existing EST data sets, obtained from immune-activated hemocyte cDNA libraries, to employ a functional genomic evaluation of the transcriptome of this host, and how it changes in response to parasite infection. This will serve as a basis for comparative studies, and allow for an increased understanding of the implications of vector competence and the components and mechanisms that drive the innate immune response.