U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: Novel Multifunctional Peptides in Insects and Their Role in Cellular Immunity

9726205 Strand该奖项支持威斯康星大学的Michael Strand教授和日本北海道大学的Yoichi Hyakawa教授之间为期两年的合作研究项目。研究人员将对昆虫中的新型多功能多肽及其在细胞免疫中的作用进行研究。研究人员认为，已报道的PSP1和GBP的生物学活性反映了这一家族多肽在应对感染性病原体入侵时的多功能作用。他们计划表征这些多肽在昆虫免疫中的功能。本研究的具体目的是：(1)比较PSP1和GBP在两种植物中的功能活性；(2)分离PSP1基因，并研究其在创伤和包埋过程中的表达；(3)建立PSP1/GBP的体外生产体系，并对其生产工艺进行研究。这项研究的长期目标是了解这些肽在无脊椎动物免疫中的功能。该项目汇集了两个拥有互补专业知识、研究能力和设备的实验室的努力。两位研究人员都在研究与夜蛾幼虫寄生有关的不同生物学过程，并将相同的血淋巴多肽作为促进浆细胞扩散和通过改变保幼激素水平来抑制发育的生物效应分子。计划中的实验将使研究人员能够共同努力，了解这一家族多肽的功能。与血细胞凝块和被膜形成相关的事件在大多数昆虫和许多其他无脊椎动物中基本上是保守的。因此，这一研究结果将与许多分类群相关，并将为今后的比较研究提供重要的基础。通过思想和技术的交流，这个项目将扩大我们的基础知识基础，促进国际理解与合作。***

9726205 Strand This award supports a two year collaborative research project between Professor Michael Strand of the University of Wisconsin and Professor Yoichi Hyakawa of Hokkaido University in Japan. The researchers will undertake a study of novel multifunctional peptides in insects and their role in cellular immunity. The investigators believe that the biological activities reported for PSPl and GBP reflect a multifunctional role for this family of peptides in response to invasion by infectious agents. They plan to characterize the function of these peptides in insect immunity. The specific objectives are: (l) compare the functional activities of PSPl and GBP in P.includens and P.separata; (2) isolate a PSPl cDNA and characterize its expression during wounding and encapsulation; and (3) develop an in vitro system for production of PSPl/GBP and investigate its processing. The long-range goal of the research is to understand the function of these peptides in invertebrate immunity. This project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise, research capabilities and equipment. Both researchers were studying different biological processes related to parasitism in larvae of noctuid moths and converged upon the same hemolymph peptide as the biological effector molecule for stimulating plasmatocyte spreading and for retarding development through altering juvenile hormone level. The planned experiments will enable the researchers to work together to understand the functions of this family of peptides. Events associated with formation of hemocyte clots and capsules are fundamentally conserved across most insects and many other invertebrates. Therefore, results of this research will be relevant to many taxa and will provide an important foundation for future comparative studies. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understandin g and cooperation. ***