Functional Genomics of High Pressure Adaptation

加州大学圣地亚哥分校斯克里普斯海洋研究所的道格拉斯·巴特利特博士获得了一笔赠款，用于识别和表征基因和蛋白质，这些基因和蛋白质使某些物种的微生物能够在深海环境中茁壮成长，那里的压力可能是地球表面压力的1000倍，而且那里的温度接近冰点。大多数拟议的工作将在深海细菌物种上进行，其整个基因组序列很快就会完全清楚。为了完成这一研究目标，将分离出不能在高压下生长的突变细胞，并利用最先进的细菌遗传学和分子生物学技术确定其压力敏感性的基础。其丰度受压力控制的蛋白质将使用半自动生化过程进行鉴定。我们将研究不能制造某些压力调节蛋白质的基因工程突变体的特性，以便更好地了解这些蛋白质在高压下微生物生长中的作用。细菌拥有比任何其他生命形式更多种类的基因，其中许多基因在医学和生物技术方面具有价值。来自深海极端环境的微生物无疑将拥有具有实用价值的新基因。例如，已经知道许多深海细菌具有产生omega-3多不饱和脂肪酸的基因，这些分子对人类心血管健康和某些疾病的预防有用。深渊是地球上发现生命的最大部分，对使生命得以存在的基因和蛋白质进行表征，为了解生命如何在截然不同的物理限制下生存的基本细节提供了机会。此外，作为这笔赠款的一部分，这项工作可能会提供有关生命如何在我们的星球以外存在的细节，那里存在着低温和高压，例如在木星的卫星木卫二的水环境中。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Douglas Bartlett of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego to identify and characterize genes and proteins which enable some species of microorganisms to flourish in deep ocean environments where the pressure can be as great as one thousand times greater than that which exists on the surface of our planet and where the temperature is close to freezing. Most of the proposed work will be performed on a deep-sea bacterial species whose entire genome sequence will soon be completely known. In order to accomplish the research goals mutant cells unable to grow at high pressure will be isolated and the basis of their pressure sensitivity will be ascertained using state of the art bacterial genetic and molecular biology techniques. Proteins whose abundance is controlled by pressure will be identified using a semi-automated biochemical process. The properties of genetically engineered mutants that cannot make certain pressure-regulated proteins will be examined so that the role of these proteins in microbial growth at high pressure can be better understood.Bacteria possess a greater variety of genes than any other life forms and many of these genes have value in medicine and biotechnology. Microbes from the extreme environment of the deep ocean will undoubtedly possess novel genes of practical value. For example, it is already known that many deep-sea bacteria have genes for the production of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and these molecules are useful for human cardiovascular health and the prevention of certain diseases. Characterizing the genes and proteins which enable life in the abyss, which represents the largest part of Earth where life is found, provides the opportunity for learning fundamental details of how life can exist under dramatically different physical constraints. In addition, the work performed as a part of this grant may provide details on how life could exist outside of our planet where low temperatures and high pressures exist, such as within the aquatic environment of Jupiter's moon Europa.