潮间带滨螺适应高温的生理生化机制研究

要准确评估气候变暖的生态效应，需深入研究生物对高温的适应机制。滨螺在潮间带分布广泛，形成了具有不同耐高温能力和分布特征的生理生态型，特殊的生理和生化机制对于其适应高温具有重要作用。本项目以“查明高潮间带滨螺对高温的生理生化和进化适应机制”为主题，以四种不同生理生态型的滨螺为研究对象，通过比较转录组学分析，查明滨螺适应高温的分子机制，尤其是查明最为重要的代谢通路和代谢关键酶；进而基于自创的“酶促反应动力学—点突变蛋白表达—模拟计算”模式，比较分析重要代谢通路中关键酶结构和功能的差异，查明滨螺对温度的生化适应机制，及其与生物分布的相关性。本项目的顺利实施对于查明高温对生物分布的影响和预测气候变暖的生态学效应将具有重要意义。

For predicating the ecological impacts of global warming, it is necessary to study the organisms’ physiological and evolutionary adaptation to high temperature. Intertidal Littorinids snails are common species on the shore and Echinolittorina snails, with the lethal temperatures are about 55-60°C, are one of the most thermal-tolerant metazoans in the planet. In the face of high temperature, intertidal Littorinids snails have formed some different ecophysiological types, who have specialized biochemical-physiological and evolutionary adaptions for coping with the stressful environment. In order to investigate the physiological, biochemical and evolutionary adaptations to high temperature of high intertidal snails with different ecophysiological types and to evaluate the ecological impacts of global warming, we will study the differences in transcriptional responses to the high temperature between different species to understand the evolutionary adaptation of intertidal Littorinids to thermal stress, especially to find the crucial metabolic pathways and key enzymes for thermal adaptations. We will also measure the enzyme kinetics and protein structure of those key enzymes to investigate how these high intertidal species can maintain the stability and function of their enzymes in the context of frequently extreme temperature; This project is important to elucidate how the intertidal Littorinids adapt to the high temperature, and is also crucial to evaluate the ecological impacts of global warming.