Microbial Genome Sequencing: Gene Discovery and Mapping Tools for Ichthyophthirius: A Complementary DNA Resource

在这个项目中，将对寄生纤毛虫多filiis鱼鳞虫（Ichthyophthirius multifiliis）生命周期中表达的优势基因的全长cdna进行测序。鱼鳞病（Ichthyophthirius，俗称Ich）是淡水鱼的主要病原菌，对国内外水产养殖造成重大影响。同时，就其分类和生活方式而言，它代表了一个极其有趣的生物系统。在过去的50年里，纤毛虫对我们对细胞和分子生物学的理解做出了巨大的贡献。尽管如此，整个门的基因组序列数据缺乏。目前正在对3种自由生活的物种（即四膜虫、四片草履虫和三叶虫）进行高通量测序，本项目开展的工作将有助于更全面地了解纤毛虫的生物学和进化。此外，该项目预计将对多filiis的毒力和寄生性质产生根本性的见解，最终导致更有效的治疗疾病。最后，该项目将完全在学术环境中进行，并将包括对生物信息学、计算生物学和分子遗传学等一系列学科的本科生的培训。

In this project, an archive of full-length cDNAs representing the preponderance of genes expressed during the life cycle of the parasitic ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis will be sequenced. Ichthyophthirius (known commonly as Ich) is a major pathogen of freshwater fish and has substantial impact on aquaculture in this country and abroad. At the same time, it represents an extremely interesting biological system with respect to its taxonomy and life style. Over the past 50 years, the ciliates have contributed enormously to our understanding of cellular and molecular biology. Despite this, a paucity of genomic sequence data exists for the phylum as a whole. High-throughput sequencing efforts are currently slated for 3 free-living species (namely, Tetrahymena thermophila, Paramecium tetraurelia and Oxytricha trifallax), and the work undertaken in this project should lend to a more complete understanding of ciliate biology and evolution. In addition, the project is expected to yield fundamental insights into the nature of virulence and parasitism in I. multifiliis leading ultimately to more effective treatments against disease. Finally, the project will be conducted entirely within an academic setting and will include the training of undergraduate students in a range of disciplines that spans bioinformatics, computational biology and molecular genetics.