The Role of Innate Immunity in the Regulation of Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Mutualisms

无关生物之间的共生伙伴关系在所有环境中普遍存在，是进化的驱动力。 许多刺胞动物，包括珊瑚和海葵，与生活在它们组织内的光合作用单细胞藻类共生。 这些伙伴关系具有全球意义，因为珊瑚构成珊瑚礁生态系统的营养和结构基础。 珊瑚藻共生体中的伙伴有一系列复杂的细胞和分子对话，调节和维持这种亲密的联系。 在这个项目中，研究人员将研究宿主珊瑚和海葵免疫系统在识别和调节其共生藻类伙伴中的作用。 动物免疫由许多不同的基因和细胞通路组成，这些基因和细胞通路的建立是为了检测和调节有害和有益的入侵者。 该项目将确定珊瑚和海葵中的特定免疫基因、蛋白质和途径，并通过实验测试它们在共生伙伴关系中的作用。 这些研究将包括审查当珊瑚受到与气候变化有关的温度升高的压力时，这种伙伴关系的崩溃，这种现象被称为珊瑚漂白。 在白化过程中，共生藻类离开宿主，使宿主营养不良，容易生病。 漂白正在威胁着全世界珊瑚礁的健康。 深入了解珊瑚的基本生物学对于充分了解珊瑚是否有能力适应和生存气候变化至关重要。 该项目将有助于研究生、本科生和高中生的教育和培训。 学生将执行大部分的工作，并在这样做，他们将获得在珊瑚礁和实验室工作的实地考察使用国家的最先进的细胞和分子生物学技术的培训。 这项培训将使这些年轻学者为未来的科学、技术和教育做好准备。

Symbiotic partnerships between unrelated organisms are prevalent in all environments and are a driving force in evolution. Many cnidarians, including corals and anemones, engage in a symbiosis with photosynthetic single-celled algae that live within their tissues. These partnerships are of global significance as corals form both the trophic and structural foundation of coral reef ecosystems. The partners in coral-algae symbioses have a series of complex cellular and molecular conversations that regulate and maintain this intimate association. In this project, the investigators will examine the role of host coral and anemone immune systems in recognizing and regulating their symbiotic algal partners. Animal immunity is comprised of many different genes and cellular pathways that are set up to detect and regulate both detrimental and beneficial invaders. This project will identify specific immunity genes, proteins and pathways in corals and anemones and experimentally test their role in the symbiotic partnership. These studies will include examinations of the collapse of the partnership that occurs when corals are stressed by elevated temperatures associated with climate change, a phenomenon termed coral bleaching. During bleaching, the symbiotic algae exit the host, leaving the host undernourished and susceptible to disease. Bleaching is threatening the health of reefs worldwide. Insight into the basic biology of corals is critical to gain a full understanding of whether or not corals have the capacity to adapt to and survive climate change. This project will contribute to the education and training of graduate students, undergraduates and high school students. Students will be executing the majority of the work and in doing so they will gain training in fieldwork on a coral reef and laboratory work using state-of-the-art cell and molecular biology techniques. This training will prepare these young scholars for futures in science, technology and education.