合浦珠母贝发育早期贝壳发生的分子调控及环境响应机制

贝壳和珍珠是典型的生物矿化产物，具有重要的研究价值。贝壳形成过程发生在贝类的早期发育阶段，极易受到海洋环境变化的影响。目前，关于珍珠贝贝壳发生时期基因表达调控及其影响因素的研究报道较少，限制了贝壳发生乃至珍珠形成调控机制的解析。基于上述科学问题，本项目以重要的海水珍珠养殖贝类---合浦珠母贝为实验材料，以表达谱生物芯片为基础，研究受精卵、担轮幼虫、D型幼虫、壳顶幼虫和幼贝等合浦珠母贝早期发育阶段的基因表达调控，对相关基因在贝壳发生时期的表达模式和关联性进行全面的分析和探究，发掘其中新的关键调节基因，提出贝壳发生调控的作用模式。同时研究海洋酸化和暖化对合浦珠母贝贝壳发生的影响及其分子调控，并结合贝壳结构和力学性能的变化，多学科深入了解发育早期的珍珠贝对海洋环境变化的响应机制。本研究工作不仅有助于阐明合浦珠母贝贝壳发生的分子调控机制，对于珍珠贝的合理健康养殖也具有一定的指导意义。

Shells and pearls are representative products of biomineralization with important research value . The shells begin to form at early stages of shellfish development, which are affected significantly by multiple factors of the ocean environment. However, investigations on gene regulations and their effects during the formation of shells are extremely lacking, which limite our understanding on the mechanism of shell formation and even the pearl formation. Based on this fact, the project uses Pinctada fucata, an important economic species of pearl production, as experimental materials. The work aims to reveal novel and critical genes involved in the different development stages using microarray method, i.e., fertilized egg, trochophore, D-shaped stage, umbonal stage, juvenile, and adult. The work also aims to study the effects of ocean acidification and ocean warming on the shell formation and molecular regulation. Combined with the observation of ultrastructure and mechanical properties, this project may shed light on the mechanism of the pearl oysters responses to the enviromental variation at early development stages. This project therefor not only can help us elucidate the molecular regulation during the shell formation of Pinctada fucata , but also has directive significance on the reasonable and healthy development of pearl farming.