Resource availability and the evolution of host resistance to parasites: within individuals, trade-off shapes and the genetic basis of resistance

研究背景最近的流行病继续强调SARS等传染病对人类健康和农业生产的重要性。同样清楚的是，大多数(如果不是全部)动物、植物和微生物都感染了各种传染病。这些疾病无论是由细菌、病毒还是线虫引起的，往往都会对宿主造成重大伤害。特别是，它们可能会缩短自己的寿命或减少受感染的个体宿主所能产生的后代数量。因此，个体进化出了各种各样的抵抗感染的方法。他们可以避免被感染，恢复得更快，或者减少宿主给他们造成的损害。如果我们要管理自然和农业系统中的疾病，了解决定耐药性的因素是至关重要的。特别是，在自然环境中，在任何特定时间、任何给定地点可获得的资源具有相当大的变异性。由于个人的资源有限，他们必须将资源分配给相互竞争的需求--例如维持身体状况--因此资源的这种变化对疾病的影响至关重要。因此，重要的是要了解资源在抵抗力进化中的作用。目的和目的为了了解资源对免疫的作用，有必要在资源改变的情况下进行实验。这需要使用一种模型经验系统，在这种系统中可以实现对资源的必要控制。我们提出了一套基于昆虫及其病毒病原体的使用这种模型的详细实验。首先，我们将根据近年来在测序技术方面取得的进展，开发一些基因工具。我们将测量免疫功能成本和收益的遗传基础。我们的方法是控制昆虫的繁殖，这样我们就可以检查家庭内部的免疫功能。这使我们能够确定这种变异在多大程度上是由于亲缘关系，从而也就是遗传因素造成的。通过在不同的环境中进行这些实验，我们可以得出基因变异的性质在不同的环境下是如何变化的。我们还将观察在单个个体感染的时间过程中，不同资源环境下的免疫反应是如何变化的。最后，我们将允许在实验室中在好的和坏的环境下发生进化，并看看发生的抗药性是否由于不同的机制而产生。潜在的应用和好处这项工作的基本应用是，它将帮助我们了解免疫是如何进化的。这样就可以减少疾病对自然系统和人类造成的伤害。特别是，我们的结果可能使我们能够预测如何通过改变饮食来更好地管理疾病。我们还将有更好的机会预测人类在何时以及如何改变正在发生的环境可能导致疾病爆发。人类活动正在改变许多环境，并经常导致可供主机使用的资源减少。因此，我们需要更好地了解这对疾病的影响，以便管理和保护自然资源。我们使用的实验室模型系统是一种主要的农业害虫，因此我们的结果也有可能帮助控制它。

Context of the researchRecent epidemics continue to emphasise the importance of infectious disease such as SARS to human health and agricultural production. It is also clear that most if not all animals, plants and microbes are infected by a wide variety of infectious diseases. These diseases whether they are caused by bacteria, viruses or nematode worms often cause significant harm to their hosts. In particular they may shorten their life or reduce the number of offspring that the infected individual host can produce. As a consequence individuals have evolved a wide variety of ways of resisting infection. They can avoid becoming infected, recover more quickly or reduce the damage that the host causes them. Understanding what factors determine resistance is vital if we are to manage disease in natural and agricultural systems. In particular, in natural environments there is considerable variability in the resources that are available at any particular time in any given place. Since individuals have limited resources and they must allocate them to competing demands - such as the maintenance of body condition - such variation in resources is critical to the impact of disease. It is therefore important to understand the role that resources play in the evolution of resistance.Aims and objectivesIn order to understand the role that resources have on immunity it is necessary to carry out experiments where resources are altered. This requires the use of a model empirical system where the necessary control of resources can be achieved. We propose a set of detailed experiments using such a model based on an insect and its viral pathogen. First we will develop a number of genetic tools based on the advances in sequencing technology that have occurred in recent years. We will measure the genetic basis of the costs and benefits of immune function. Our approach is to control the breeding of the insect so that we can examine the immune function within families. This allows us to determine how much of the variation is due to relatedness and therefore genetics. By carrying out these experiments in different environments, we can work out how the nature of genetic variation changes under different circumstances. We will also look at how the immune response changes under different resource environments during the time course of the infection within single individuals. Finally we will allow evolution to occur in the laboratory under good and bad environments and see if the resistance that occurs comes about due to different mechanisms.Potential applications and benefitsThe fundamental application of this work is that it will help us to understand how immunity evolve. This can then reduce the harm that disease causes in natural systems and to people. In particular our results may enable us to predict how we can better manage disease through changes in diet. We will also have a better chance of predicting when and how the man made changes in the environment that are occurring may lead to disease outbreaks. Human activity is changing many environments and often leading to a reduction in the available resources for hosts. As such we need a better understanding of the implications of this to disease in order to manage and conserve natural resources. The laboratory model system that we use is a major agricultural pest and therefore our results also have the potential to help in its control.