细胞膜NF-κB（mNF-κB）信号通路及其介导的凡纳滨对虾抗真菌免疫调控机制

NF-κB家族是一类重要的转录因子，参与了动物体内大多数生命进程的调控。凡纳滨对虾是甲壳纲中具有代表性的物种，也是全球主要的水产养殖虾类之一。真菌是威胁对虾养殖的重要病原，但目前对对虾抗真菌免疫调控机制的研究几乎空白。我们在凡纳滨对虾中发现了一种定位于细胞膜上的NF-κB家族新成员，命名为细胞膜NF-κB（membrane NF-κB, mNF-κB）。初步研究发现mNF-κB可能参与了对虾抗真菌免疫调控。本项目拟对mNF-κB的蛋白特征、进化地位及转录因子功能进行研究，通过筛选及鉴定其靶基因和上游调控分子，揭示mNF-κB信号通路的基本框架及调控机理；进一步解析该通路与其他免疫信号通路间的交互作用，并对其介导的对虾抗真菌免疫调控机制进行研究。本项目有助于填补目前在对虾抗真菌免疫领域的研究空白，为养殖对虾真菌病害的防治提供理论基础，并能够为生物界中NF-κB通路领域的研究提供重要的补充。

The NF-κB family is a group of important transcription factors, involving in regulation of most biological processes in animals. The Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, is a representative species of the Class Crustacea, and is also one of the major species of the global shrimp aquaculture industry. The fungus is the important pathogen that threatens the shrimp aquaculture, but the study on the regulatory mechanism of antifungal immunity in shrimp is almost blank at present. We have found a novel member of the NF-κB family from L. vannamei, termed membrane NF-κB (mNF-κB), that is located on the cell membrane. The preliminary study has showed that mNF-κB could be involved in regulation of antifungal immunity in shrimp. In this project, we plan to study the protein nature, evolutionary status and transcription factor function of mNF-κB, and further reveal the basic framework and regulatory mechanism of the mNF-κB signaling pathway through screening and identifying the target genes and upstream regulatory molecules of mNF-κB. Moreover, we plan to analyze the crosstalk between the mNF-κB pathway and other immune signaling pathways, and further study the mechanism mediated by the mNF-κB pathway to regulate the shrimp antifungal immunity. This project helps to fill the research gap in the field of shrimp antifungal immunity, and makes a theoretical foundation for preventing fungal diseases in aquaculture shrimp, and can provide an important supplement to the research on the field of NF-κB pathways in organisms.