CAREER: Exploring the Immunological Priming in Basal Metazoan (Anthozoan)

珊瑚礁是地球上最具生物多样性和经济重要性的生态系统之一。然而，它们面临着因持续和即将发生的环境压力和致病因素而消亡的风险。如果我们要在当前的挑战下影响珊瑚礁的持久性，就需要了解珊瑚抵抗致病压力的机制。在这里，一项研究计划将阐明珊瑚在反复遇到病原体时的防御反应的特异性，记忆和分子基础。了解这些生物体的免疫系统如何对病原体作出反应，可以深入了解这些生态系统的恢复能力，并可能为它们的补救提供信息。一个明显的影响是制定免疫方案，以提高珊瑚及其亲属的耐受性和生存能力。拟议的研究将增加并可能改变我们对这些基础动物的动态免疫反应的理解，尽管珊瑚礁在生态和经济上具有重要意义，但这些免疫反应仍然严重不足。此外，该项目将通过培训和教育下一代美国和国际青年科学家来建设科学能力。首席研究员将开发研究和教育项目，以支持K-12，本科生和研究生在项目的综合范围内。 一个强有力的重点将放在开发外展计划，为西班牙裔高中生和其他少数民族学生从迈阿密大都会地区的科学教育产生兴趣和促进这些代表性不足的群体在科学，技术，工程和数学的本科领域的招聘和参与的目标。这个教育项目的一个重要方面是一个早期职业科学家的研究实验室之间的协同作用，一个完善的西班牙裔服务机构（佛罗里达国际大学）和当地的公立学校系统在迈阿密戴德县，都加入了使命，通过接触启发教学激发对科学事业的兴趣。珊瑚病引起人们极大关注，因为近几十年来出现的珊瑚病是对珊瑚礁生态系统的重大威胁。为了了解和影响珊瑚礁在当前挑战下的持久性，必须了解珊瑚及其亲属（刺胞动物门，珊瑚虫门）对病原体的免疫抵抗机制。主要研究者将阐明免疫引发在珊瑚虫反复接触传染性病原体后的反应中的作用。该方法使用海葵模型Exaiptasia pallida来确定这种生物体的免疫系统是否表现出对感染因子的特异性记忆，如随后暴露于病原体时的加速防御反应所示，这种现象在基底后生动物中基本上是未知的。本研究还调查了诱导的保护性反应对多次重复病原体遭遇的持久影响。此外，转录谱和组织学方法将用于促进发现免疫引发现象的分子和细胞机制。

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and economically important ecosystems on the planet. However, they are at risk of demise from ongoing and impending environmental stressors and disease-causing agents. There is a need to understand the mechanisms of resistance to pathogenic stressors by corals if we are to influence the persistence of coral reefs under current challenges. Here a research program will elucidate the specificity, memory and molecular basis of the defense response of corals upon repetitive encounters with pathogens. Understanding how the immune system of these organisms responds to pathogens may offer insights into the resilience of these ecosystems, and potentially may inform remediation of them. One clear implication would be the development of immunization protocols to improve tolerance and survival of corals and their relatives. The proposed research will increase and potentially transform our understanding of the dynamic immunological response of these basal animals, which remains grossly understudied despite the ecological and economic importance of coral reefs. Furthermore, the project will build science capacity through the training and education of the next generation of American and international young scientists. The lead investigator will develop research and educational projects to support K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students within the integrated scope of the project. A strong emphasis will be placed on developing outreach programs for Hispanic high school students and other minority students from the Miami metropolitan area with the goal of generating interest in science education and facilitating growth in the recruitment and participation of these underrepresented groups in undergraduate fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. An important aspect of this educational project is the synergy between the research laboratory of an early-career scientist, a well-established Hispanic Serving Institution (Florida International University) and the local public school system in Miami-Dade County, all joined in the mission to stimulate interest in science careers through exposure to inspired teaching. Coral diseases are of great concern since they have emerged over recent decades as a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems. In order to understand and influence the persistence of coral reefs under current challenges, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms of immunological resistance to pathogens in corals and their relatives (Cnidaria, Anthozoa). The Principal Investigator will elucidate the role of immune priming in the response of anthozoans upon repetitive encounters to infectious agents. The approach uses the sea anemone model Exaiptasia pallida to determine whether the immune system of this organism exhibits specific memory in response to infectious agents, as indicated by accelerated defensive responses upon subsequent exposures to pathogens, a phenomenon that remains largely unknown in basal metazoans. This research also investigates the lasting effect of induced protective response upon multiple repetitive pathogenic encounters. Furthermore, transcriptomic profiles and histological approaches will be used to facilitate the discovery of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning the phenomenon of immune priming.