Studying the effects of stressors on the cnidarian microbiome with computational models

用计算模型研究压力源对刺胞动物微生物组的影响

• 批准号: 2594626
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2594626
• 关键词: Studying; effects; stressors; cnidarian; microbiome

Coral reefs are structurally complex habitats constructed by reef-building cnidarians. These biodiversity hotspots provide important services to humans, but are among the most threatened marine ecosystems. For example, small short-term changes in ocean temperature can lead to bleaching events that weaken or destroy large areas of coral reef.6 Cnidarians including corals have complex microbiomes.3,4 Changes in the microbiome can precede bleaching events, suggesting that symbiotic interactions between cnidarians and their microbiota play a role in the response to external stressors.7The Marine Microbial Symbioses lab at the University of Melbourne is developing methods to manipulate cnidarian microbiomes to help reefs respond to environmental stress.8,9 The efficient design and effective application of these tools demands a thorough understanding of the composition, dynamics, and function of cnidarian microbiomes in stressed and healthy states.4 This understanding is in its infancy. The PI labs at the University of Manchester work on a surprising parallel system: the human respiratory microbiome in asthma. As part of the CURE project10 (https://www.cureasthma.eu/), this team is developing mathematical and computational tools to understand the composition and dynamics of healthy and asthmatic microbiomes, and to develop phage therapies that can guide asthmatic microbiomes back to healthy states. This project will bring these two lines of research together, applying tools developed for the alleviation of asthma in humans to help understand and protect coral reefs.In this project, the student will achieve three main research objectives:1. Develop a biological market (i.e., game theory) model to predict how multi-species symbioses will respond to environmental changes. 2. Develop classification models to characterise healthy and distressed states in the cnidarian microbiome. 3. Characterise the functional profiles of cnidarian microbiota in the presence and absence of environmental stressors. The student will be based in Manchester for components 1 and 3, and in Melbourne for component 2. Much of the metagenomic data needed for this project has already been collected by the Melbourne team, so the project can go forward even new data cannot be obtained. However, we anticipate that the student will collect additional data and test model predictions with experimental work in Melbourne or Manchester, thus ensuring that the student gains expertise in both wet and dry aspects of metagenomics research.

珊瑚礁是由造礁刺胞动物建造的结构复杂的栖息地。这些生物多样性热点为人类提供了重要服务，但也是最受威胁的海洋生态系统之一。例如，海洋温度的短期微小变化可能导致漂白事件，从而削弱或破坏大面积的珊瑚礁。6包括珊瑚在内的刺胞动物具有复杂的微生物组。这表明刺胞动物和它们的微生物群之间的共生相互作用在对外部压力的反应中发挥了作用。7墨尔本大学的海洋微生物共生实验室开发操纵刺胞动物微生物组的方法，以帮助珊瑚礁对环境压力做出反应。8，9这些工具的有效设计和有效应用需要彻底了解刺胞动物微生物组在压力和健康状态下的组成、动力学和功能。曼彻斯特大学的PI实验室正在研究一个令人惊讶的平行系统：哮喘中的人类呼吸道微生物组。作为CURE项目10（https：//www.cureasthma.eu/）的一部分，该团队正在开发数学和计算工具，以了解健康和哮喘微生物群的组成和动力学，并开发可以引导哮喘微生物群恢复健康状态的噬菌体疗法。该项目将把这两条研究线结合起来，应用为缓解人类哮喘而开发的工具来帮助理解和保护珊瑚礁。在这个项目中，学生将实现三个主要研究目标：1.开发生物市场（即，博弈论）模型来预测多物种共生体将如何应对环境变化。2.开发分类模型，以识别刺胞动物微生物组中的健康和痛苦状态。3.描述刺胞动物微生物群在存在和不存在环境压力的情况下的功能概况。学生将在曼彻斯特为组件1和3，并在墨尔本为组件2。该项目所需的大部分宏基因组数据已经由墨尔本团队收集，因此即使无法获得新数据，该项目也可以继续进行。然而，我们预计，学生将收集额外的数据和测试模型预测与实验工作在墨尔本或曼彻斯特，从而确保学生获得专业知识，在湿和干方面的宏基因组学研究。