Collaborative Research: Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology of the Stress Response and Stress Proteins

生态学和进化生理学的一个主要问题是复杂生物的性状、生物利用不同环境的能力和物种在时间上的持久性之间的关系。本研究旨在研究果蝇热休克蛋白Hsp70以解决这一问题。在对热或其他胁迫的反应中，几乎所有的生物都表达热休克蛋白（Hsps），这是一种高度保守的蛋白，通过充当分子伴侣来促进应激耐受性。一项由美国国家科学基金会（NSF）先前奖励支持的研究已经证实，通过实验操纵果蝇的hsp70基因拷贝数，足以引起耐热性的变化。本研究将在此基础上进一步探讨Hsp70功能的生理机制；即热应力如何破坏功能，以及Hsp70如何防止热损伤或帮助恢复。这个问题将在果蝇的幼虫肠道中进行研究，果蝇的幼虫肠道特别容易受到热损伤。电子显微镜将用于确定哪些特定组织和细胞最容易受到热损伤，并记录热休克蛋白Hsp70对这些组织和细胞的保护作用。对Hsp70表达不同的果蝇幼虫进行检测。该研究的预期结果具有巨大的潜力，可以整合分子、遗传、功能和进化的观点，以促进对适应的理解。

Dybas 9727681 A major issue in ecological and evolutionary physiology is the relationship among the traits of complex organisms, organisms' ability to exploit diverse environments, and species' persistence in time. The proposed investigation examines the heat-shock protein Hsp70 in Drosophila to address this issue. In response to heat or other stresses, nearly all organisms express heat-shock proteins (Hsps), highly-conserved proteins that contribute to stress tolerance by functioning as molecular chaperones. Research supported by a previous NSF award has established that experimental manipulation of copy number of the hsp70 gene of Drosophila, which encodes Hsp70, is sufficient to cause changes in thermotolerance. The proposed research will build upon this finding to examine the physiological mechanism of Hsp70 function; i.e., how thermal stress disrupts function and how Hsp70 protects against heat damage or aids recovery from it. This issue will be examined in the larval gut of Drosophila, which is especially susceptible to heat damage. Electron microscopy will be used to determine which particular tissues and cells are most vulnerable to heat damage, and to document protection of these tissues and cells by the heat-shock protein Hsp70. Larval Drosophila that differ in Hsp70 expression will be examined. The projected outcome of the proposed research has immense potential to integrate molecular, genetic, functional, and evolutionary perspectives to advance understanding of adaptation.