Equipment to Enhance Genomics Research at the Hollings Marine Laboratory

埃里克·R博士获得了一笔赠款。莱西在南卡罗来纳州医科大学资助设备研究海洋生物对环境压力的遗传反应。 沿海环境所受压力的增加使人们集中注意海洋生物如何应对这种压力。人们早就知道，动物通过成百上千的分子和细胞反应来保护自己免受环境的伤害。 直到最近，科学家们还不得不费力地测量个体动物对各种环境挑战的每一种反应，以试图了解哪些生理系统（例如，免疫、呼吸、生殖）受到保护，但已经失败。 随着分子遗传学的出现，科学家们有了新的工具来观察基因，并确定当动物受到环境压力时，哪些基因被关闭和打开。然而，有成千上万的基因，手动检查它们，一次只检查几个，需要数年时间才能得到所需的答案。从这笔赠款中获得的基因排列器和读取器将被南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿的海洋基因组计划用于同时检查虾、牡蛎、海豚、黄貂鱼、珊瑚和藻类的数千个基因。 这个小组的实验目标是利用“功能基因组学”（与海洋环境压力变化相关的基因表达变化）：1）在海洋生物中发现应激的早期遗传标记，2）使用遗传信息来诊断和预测动物可能具有的特定应激或感染，3）鉴定可能保护这些海洋动物免受感染和应激的新基因，（4）检测基因间的相互作用。在应激之前、期间和之后，从动物的靶组织分离表达的基因。然后对每只动物进行比较，看看在这些条件下哪些基因被打开，哪些基因被关闭。这些研究的结果将显示哪些基因在动物的防御机制中是重要的。这些发现对环境和人类健康具有广泛的影响，因为两者密切相关。例如，生物体中的早期遗传变化可以预测环境中发生的变化，而这些变化无法以任何其他方式进行监测。这些信息也将有助于水产食品供应商选择性的海洋动物养殖计划。此外，这项研究的信息应有助于科学家更好地了解目前全球珊瑚礁减少的机制。 根据该奖项购买的设备将驻留在新建的霍林斯海洋实验室，一个机构间实验室，容纳海洋基因组计划和查尔斯顿学院的所有合作伙伴。 各级学生（高中、本科和研究生）将通过实习接受使用这一设备的培训。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Eric R. Lacy at the Medical University of South Carolina to fund equipment for studying the genetic responses of marine organisms to environmental stress. Increased pressure on the coastal environment has focused attention on how marine organisms respond to this stress. It has long been known that animals defend themselves against environmental insults through hundreds if not thousands of molecular and cellular responses. Until recently scientists had to laboriously measure each response of individual animals to various environmental challenges to try to understand which physiological systems (e.g., immune, respiratory, reproductive) were protected and which had failed. With the advent of molecular genetics, scientists have new tools to look at genes and determine which ones are turned off and turned on when the animals are environmentally stressed. However, there are tens of thousands of genes and examining them manually, a few at a time, would take years to get the answers needed. The gene arrayer and reader obtained from this grant will be used by the Marine Genome Project in Charleston, SC, to simultaneously examine thousands of genes from shrimp, oysters, dolphins, stingrays, corals, and algae. The experimental goals of this group are to use "functional genomics" (changes in gene expression correlated with changes in marine environmental stress) to: 1) find early genetic markers of stress in marine organisms, 2) use the genetic information to diagnose and predict the particular stress or infection the animal may have, 3) identify new genes that might protect these marine animals from infection and stress, and 4) detect interactions among genes. Expressed genes are isolated from target tissues in the animals before, during and after stress. Then a comparison is made for each animal to see which genes are turned on and which are turned off under each of these conditions. The results of these studies will show which genes are important in an animal's defense mechanisms. These findings have broad implications for environmental and human health because the two are intimately linked. For example, early genetic changes in an organism may predict changes occurring in the environment that cannot be monitored in any other way. This information also should help selective marine animal breeding programs for aquatic food suppliers. Furthermore, the information from this study should assist scientists in better understanding the mechanisms of the current world-wide decline of coral reefs. The equipment purchased under this award will reside in the newly constructed Hollings Marine Lab, an inter-institutional lab that houses all partners of the Marine Genome Project and the College of Charleston. Students at all levels (high school, undergraduate and graduate) will be trained to use this equipment through internships.