p38 MAPK信号通路调控凡纳滨对虾血淋巴透明细胞吞噬功能活化的分子机制

细胞免疫是无脊椎动物先天免疫的重要组成部分。丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）家族介导的信号通路参与多项生命过程的调控。目前甲壳动物细胞免疫的研究较为滞后。血淋巴细胞是甲壳动物细胞免疫的主要执行者，透明细胞是其主要细胞类群之一，其吞噬功能存在争议。凡纳滨对虾是甲壳类中具代表性的物种，也是研究无脊椎动物免疫的重要对象。我们在前期研究中观察到对虾透明细胞在免疫刺激后需经历一个启动和活化过程才能获得吞噬能力的现象，可能是细胞免疫激活的一个重要标志，而p38 MAPK可能在其中发挥关键作用。基于这些线索，本项目拟以凡纳滨对虾为研究对象，阐明透明细胞吞噬功能活化的特征及发生规律，解析参与该过程的p38 MAPK信号通路的基本框架，并揭示其对透明细胞吞噬功能活化的调控机制，进而探究该机制在对虾抗病免疫中的作用。本项目从新的角度诠释甲壳动物细胞免疫的运作模式和调控机理，有望为对虾病害的防治提供新的理论依据。

Cellular immunity is an important part of innate immunity in invertebrates. The signaling pathways mediated by Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family members are involved in the regulation of various biological processes. At present, the research on cellular immunity of crustaceans is relatively limited. Hemocytes are the main players of cellular immunity in crustaceans, and hyaline cells are one of the main groups of hemocytes, the phagocytic function of which is still debated. Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is a representative economic species in crustaceans, and is also an important object for research on invertebrate immunity. In previous studies, we observed the phenomenon that the phagocytic ability of litopenaeus vannamei hyaline cells can only be obtained after a starting and activation process upon immune stimulation, which could be an important sign of cellular immune activation, and in which p38 MAPK could play a key role. Based on these clues, in this project, using L. vannamei as the research object, we plan to clarify the characteristics and rules of activation of the phagocytic function of hyaline cells, and to analyze the basic framework of the P38 MAPK signaling pathway involved in this process. Moreover, we plan to reveal the regulatory mechanism of activation of the phagocytic function of hyaline cells by p38 MAPK signaling pathway, and further to explore the role of this mechanism in immune responses against pathogen infection in shrimp. This project will interpret the operational mode and regulatory mechanism of crustacean cellular immunity from a new perspective, which is expected to provide a new theoretical basis for the prevention and control of shrimp diseases.