VPW: Chemical Studies of Natural Inducers of Larval Settlement and Metamorphosis in Tropical Marine Invertebrates

这项研究涉及几种海洋无脊椎动物幼虫定居和变态的天然诱导剂的化学特征。我们的目标是分离和鉴定起天然诱导剂作用的活性分子。自然诱导物将被研究的有：专门研究Porites珊瑚的裸枝Phstilla sibogae(Opisthobranchia：Nudibrchia)；专门研究某些海藻的食草性海兔Stylocheilus Longicauda、Aplysia Juliana和Aplysia parpua(Opisthobranchia：Anaspidae)；以及专门研究某些海藻的食草性海兔Stylocheilus Longicauda、Aplysia Juliana和Aplysia parpua(Opisthobranchia：Anaspidae)。活性化合物的分离将通过活性提取物的层析分离和随后的幼虫沉降生物测试来确定哪些组分会导致沉降和变态。一旦纯化，核磁共振和其他光谱方法将被用来阐明活性诱导剂的结构。这种分离和阐明天然诱导剂结构的方法对相对较小的有机分子或多肽最有效，如果诱导剂是蛋白质或其他大分子，则可能需要修改以使用化学或酶降解技术。了解海洋无脊椎动物幼虫定居和变态的特定线索的化学性质对于包括发育生物学、海洋底栖群落生态学和水产养殖在内的不同领域都具有重要意义。互动活动包括在夏威夷大学动物系开发和教授化学生态学研究生课程和海洋化学生态学研究生研讨会；参加夏威夷大学化学系的天然产品化学和有机研讨会课程；指导本科生并与夏威夷大学凯瓦洛海洋实验室和夏威夷大学动物学和化学系的研究生和博士后研究人员互动。

The research involves the chemical characterization of natural inducers of larval settlement and metamorphosis in several species of marine invertebrates. The goal is to isolate and characterize the active molecules that function as natural inducers. Natural inducers will be studied for the nudibranch Phestilla sibogae (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia) that specializes on Porites corals; the tube-building polychaete worm Hydroides elegans, a ubiquitous fouling organism that settles in response to chemical cues from microbial films; and the herbivorous sea hares Stylocheilus longicauda, Aplysia juliana and Aplysia parvula (Opisthobranchia: Anaspidea) that specialize on certain seaweeds. Isolation of active compounds will be carried out by chromatographic separations of active extracts with subsequent bioassays of larval settlement to determine which fractions induce settlement and metamorphosis. Once purified, NMR and other spectroscopic methods will be used to elucidate the structures of active inducers. This approach to isolating and elucidating the structures of natural inducers will work best for relatively small organic molecules or peptides, and may require modification to use chemical or enzymatic degradation techniques if inducers are proteins or other large macromolecules. Understanding the chemical nature of specific cues for settlement and metamorphosis of marine invertebrate larvae is important for different fields including developmental biology, marine benthic community ecology, and aquaculture. Interactive activities include developing and teaching a graduate course in Chemical Ecology and a graduate seminar in Marine Chemical Ecology at the University of Hawaii Department of Zoology; participating in Natural Products Chemistry and Organic seminar courses at the University of Hawaii Department of Chemistry; and mentoring undergraduate students and interacting with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory and the Zoology and Chemistry Departments at the University of Hawaii.