Discovery and Characterization of Bacterial Endosymbiont Diversity in Drosophila

DEB-0315815（摘要）“果蝇细菌内共生体多样性的发现和表征“亚利桑那大学的Nancy Moran博士和Therese Markow博士获得了一笔赠款，用于使用分子方法记录形成果蝇（果蝇属及其亲属）慢性感染的细菌共生体的多样性。主要目的是使用DNA序列以及显微镜来表征感染一组进化相关的宿主物种的细菌的多样性和分布。到目前为止，还没有任何动物群体的此类信息。结果将阐明宿主的遗传差异、地理分离或生态差异如何影响特定细菌类型的感染。这些数据将通过网站和公共DNA序列数据库广泛提供给研究人员。越来越多的证据表明，细菌感染是常见的，即使在所有动物物种的健康个体，从昆虫到人类，但与特定的宿主物种或相关物种的群体相关的细菌的多样性是未经探索的。该项目将为果蝇物种提供此类信息，这些物种存在大量关于遗传学和进化关系的信息，包括完整的基因组序列。感染果蝇的细菌的知识将为跨越遗传学、传染病和生态学领域的大量研究人员提供研究系统。一旦被鉴定，这些共生细菌将有助于解决诸如慢性感染如何在分子水平上与宿主防御相互作用以及感染因子如何在宿主物种之间移动等问题，有时会导致人类和其他物种出现新的疾病。昆虫，包括农作物害虫和疾病媒介，经常窝藏共生体，这已被证明会影响其宿主的繁殖和媒介能力。这项研究的结果将有助于试图通过操纵共生体协会控制害虫。

DEB-0315815 (Abstract)"Discovery and Characterization of Bacterial Endosymbiont Diversity in Drosophila"A grant has been awarded to Dr Nancy Moran and Dr. Therese Markow of the Universityof Arizona to use molecular methods to document the diversity of bacterial symbionts that form chronic infections in species of fruitflies (genus Drosophila and relatives). A primary aim is to use DNA sequences as well as microscopy to characterize the diversity and distributions of bacteria infecting an evolutionarily related set of host species. Such information is so far not available for any animal group. Results will illuminate how genetic divergence, geographic separation, or ecological differences of hosts affect infection by particular bacterial types. The data will be made widely available to researchers on a website and also through public DNA sequence databases. Increasing evidence shows that bacterial infection is usual even in healthy individuals of all animal species, from insects to humans, but the diversity of bacteria associated with particular host species or groups of related species is unexplored. This project will provide such information for fruitfly species, for which there exists a wealth of information on genetics and evolutionary relationships, including a completed genome sequence. Knowledge of the bacteria infecting fruitflies will provide study systems for a large community of researchers spanning the fields of genetics, infectious disease, and ecology. Once characterized, these symbiotic bacteria will be useful for addressing such questions as how chronic infections interact with host defenses at the molecular level and how infectious agents move between host species, sometimes resulting in the emergence of new diseases in humans and other species. Insects, including crop pests and disease vectors, frequently harbor symbionts, which have been shown to affect reproduction and vectoring capabilities of their hosts. Results of this research will aid attempts to control insect pests by manipulating symbiont associations.