NATIONAL RESOURCES FOR APLYSIA

描述（由申请人提供）： 该提案描述了国家资源的延续，其总体目标是始终如一地提供高质量的养殖海兔加州海兔（及其养殖红藻食物，江蓠属）。美国国立卫生研究院赞助的研究人员。加州无脊椎动物是一种重要的非脊椎动物（后鳃类软体动物）模型系统，用于健康相关的研究，主要是在行为和学习的神经生理学。我们将继续生产用于研究的动物，并进行基础研究，旨在探索新的模型用途和改善资源。有四个分项目/具体目标：1.生产-我们预计在下一阶段的资助期间，我们的动物产量每年将增加约25%，并将以与实地采集的标本具有竞争力的价格提供所有生命阶段的标本。2.功能基因组学-我们将进行一个cDNA/EST测序项目的神经和其他组织从不同的发育阶段（幼虫，青少年，生殖和衰老的动物），并使用这些cDNA生产微阵列。在适当的验证和质量控制之后，这些微阵列将可供我们的用户社区按成本购买，并且还将用于检查我们孵化场种群在不同发育阶段以及暴露于其他实验条件（包括可变温度、产卵激素施用、所有序列和阵列实验数据将通过基于网络的数据库访问提供。3.发育神经生理学-我们将继续研究离子电流调制的袋细胞观察到不同的发展，遗传背景，孵化场饲养和野生捕获的动物之间。了解生长和成熟的电生理学相关性对资源很重要，因为它们可能影响资源用户对数据的解释。一项相关的研究将检查动物的不同生长速度如何产生神经系统变化的发育时间的变化，这些变化最终导致性成熟。4.动物健康监测-我们将继续开展基于水质和动物健康参数筛选的监测计划，以确保快速检测和完整记录孵化场动物任何发育阶段可能发生的任何疾病过程。将对观察到的任何疾病综合征和疑似病原体进行调查，并采取适当的控制措施。通过这种生产和基础研究的结合，我们将改进模型系统，并将其适用性扩展到其他研究领域。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal describes the continuation of the National Resource for Aplysia, whose overall goal is to provide consistently high-quality cultured sea hares Aplysia californica (and their cultured red algal food, Gracilaria sp.) to NIH-sponsored researchers. Aplysia californica is an important non-vertebrate (Opisthobranch mollusc) model system for health-related research, primarily in the neurophysiology of behavior and learning. We will continue to produce animals for research, and to conduct basic research aimed at exploring new model uses and at improving the resource. There are four sub-projects/specific aims: 1. Production-We anticipate increasing our production of animals by approximately 25% per year during this next phase of funding and will make specimens from all life stages available at a price competitive with fieldcollected specimens. 2. Functional Genomics-We will undertake a cDNA/EST sequencing project of neural and other tissues from different developmental stages (larvae, juveniles, and reproductive and senescent animals), and use these cDNAs to produce microarrays. Following appropriate validation and quality control, these microarrays will be available for at-cost purchase by our user community, and will also be used to examine gene expression changes in our hatchery population during different developmental stages, and after exposure to other experimental conditions including variable temperature, egg-laying hormone administration, etc. All sequence and array experimentation data will be made available through web-based database access. 3. Developmental Neurophysiology- We will continue study of ion current modulation in the bag cells observed to vary with development, genetic background, and between hatchery reared and wild caught animals. Understanding electrophysiological correlates of growth and maturation are important to the Resource because they may affect the interpretation of data by users of the Resource. A correlative study will examine how different growth rates of the animals produce variations in development times for the nervous system changes that culminate in sexual maturity. 4. Animal Health Monitoring-We will continue a monitoring program based on screening of water quality and animal health parameters to assure rapid detection and complete documentation of any disease processes that might occur in any developmental stages of animals at the hatchery. Any disease syndromes and suspected pathogens observed will be investigated and appropriate control measures applied. Through this combination of production and basic research, we will improve the model system and extend its usefullness to other areas of research.