Tools for genetic and genomic studies in Hydra

描述（由申请人提供）：由于其简单的组成和结构，易于实验操作，再生能力和干细胞系统，Hydra是一个潜在的重要模型系统，用于在组织，细胞和分子水平上研究广泛的生物学和健康相关问题。最近完成的水螅基因组序列和出版的方法，使稳定的转基因水螅提供了重要的新工具，利用水螅作为一个模式系统。本提案中描述的项目的目标是产生资源，允许并激励研究界将Hydra作为一个实验系统进行开发。为了实现这一目标，将需要具有用于构建转基因系的具有各种性质的一组载体。因此，该项目的目标之一是开发和验证载体，这将允许：1。转基因的条件表达; 2.表位标记蛋白的表达; 3. RNA干扰和毒素基因表达导致的功能表型丧失。该项目的第二个主要目标是进行高通量原位杂交，以确定从Hydra基因组计划中鉴定的广泛基因的表达模式。这些将包括编码转录因子、信号蛋白、细胞外基质蛋白和细胞连接蛋白的基因。将特别注意水螅基因同源的人类疾病基因。由此产生的表达模式目录将为使用该项目开发的转基因工具进行基因功能研究提供起点。 公共卫生相关性：鉴于目前可用的工具和资源，水螅研究和额外的资源，我们建议产生，我们设想使用这些资源，利用水螅作为一个模型系统的基础生物和生物医学研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Because of its simple composition and construction, ease of experimental manipulation, regenerative capacity, and stem cell systems, Hydra is a potentially important model system for investigation of a wide range of biological and health-related problems at the tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. The recent completion of the Hydra genome sequence and the publication of a method for making stably transgenic Hydra provide important new tools for exploiting Hydra as a model system. The goal of the project described in this proposal is to generate resources that will allow and motivate the research community to exploit Hydra as an experimental system. To achieve this goal it will be necessary to have a set of vectors with various properties for use in constructing transgenic lines. Thus one of the aims of this project is the development and validation of vectors that will allow: 1. Conditional expression of transgenes; 2. Expression of epitope- tagged proteins; 3. Loss of function phenotypes by RNA interference and expression of a toxin gene. The second major aim of the project is to carry out high-throughput in situ hybridization to determine the expression patterns of a wide range of genes identified from the Hydra genome project. These will include genes encoding transcription factors, signaling proteins, extracellular matrix proteins, and cell junction proteins. Particular attention will be paid to Hydra genes homologous to human disease genes. The resulting catalog of expression patterns will provide a starting point for functional studies of genes using the transgenic tools developed by the project. Public Health Relevance: Given the currently available tools and resources for Hydra research and the additional resources that we propose to generate, we envision using these resources to exploit Hydra as a model system for basic biological and biomedical research.