RUI: Energy Anabolism in Glacier Ice Worms: Evolution, Mechanisms and Contribution to Cold Adaptation

冰川冰蠕虫（Mesenchytraeus solifugus）是最大、最复杂的动物，其中的生物过程（例如，生长、繁殖、新陈代谢等）在零摄氏度及以下发生。 冰蠕虫栖息在从俄勒冈州中部到阿拉斯加的冰川和冰原上，西藏也有一种相关物种的报道。在这个项目中，研究人员将从战略地理区域收集蠕虫标本（例如，不列颠哥伦比亚省，西藏）建立遥远冰虫种群与其温带亲属（即，Mesenchytraeus物种，通常占据溪流和湖泊）。 通过比较特定的DNA序列（即，线粒体和核糖体RNA基因），研究人员希望重建北美和亚洲冰蠕虫的进化历史。 此外，还将详细研究冰蠕虫的能量产生过程。先前的研究表明，冰蠕虫具有异常高的稳态能量水平，这可能有助于它们在低温下的生存能力。他们假设一些关键酶（即AMP磷酸酶，AMP脱氨酶）将在冰蠕虫中被关闭，而其他酶（例如，腺苷酸琥珀酸裂解酶）可能显示相对增强的活性？结合起来，这些变化可能是必要的，足以维持冰蠕虫的高能量水平。 总的来说，这些分析将提供物种历史信息的生物体，生存过去的全球气候变化周期，但现在直接受到全球气候变化的威胁，也将揭示在低生理温度下的生物能量学的基本原理。该项目将整合从传统学生到K-12教师的参与者，在实地收集冰蠕虫并在实验室中进行研究。研究目标将纳入阿拉斯加太平洋大学的冰川生物学课程和罗格斯大学的实验室课程。

Glacier ice worms (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) are the largest and most complex animals in which biological processes (e.g., growth, reproduction, metabolism, etc.) occur at zero degrees centigrade and below. Ice worms inhabit glaciers and ice fields ranging from central Oregon to Alaska, and a related species has been reported in Tibet. In this project, the researchers will collect worm specimens from strategic geographic regions (e.g., British Columbia, Tibet) to establish evolutionary relationships between distant ice worm populations and their temperate relatives (i.e., Mesenchytraeus species that typically occupy streams and lakes). By comparing specific DNA sequences (i.e., mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA genes), the investigators hope to reconstruct the evolutionary history of ice worms in North America and Asia. Additionally, the process of energy production in ice worms will be examined in detail. Previous studies demonstrate that ice worms have unusually high steady-state energy levels that may contribute to their cold temperature survival abilities. They hypothesize that a few key enzymes (i.e, AMP phosphatase, AMP deaminase) will be turned off in ice worms, while others (e.g., adenylosuccinate lyase) may display relatively enhanced activity?in combination, these changes may be necessary and sufficient to maintain elevated energy levels in ice worms. Collectively, these analyses will provide species history information on an organism that has survived past cycles of global climate change but is now directly threatened by the changing global climate, and will also shed light on the fundamentals of bioenergetics at low physiological temperatures. The project will integrate participants ranging from traditional students to K-12 teachers, to collect ice worms in the field and study them in the laboratory. Research objectives will be integrated into a Glacier Biology course at Alaska Pacific University, and laboratory courses at Rutgers University.