Symbiotic colonization of host mucus by Vibrio fischeri

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是阐明动物在每一代期间重新获得细菌共生体的机制。为了实现这一目标，我将利用夏威夷短尾鱿鱼，Euprymna spectopes，和它的特定的，发光的共生体，费氏弧菌之间的自然联系。共生的形态有利于直接进入感染部位，允许活细菌在新生鱿鱼中定植时成像。提出的实验将联合收割机分子遗传学方法与共聚焦激光扫描显微镜相结合，以解决以下具体目标：（1）鉴定费氏弧菌中介导共生启动的因子，以及（2）检查宿主来源的粘液在建立共生关系和确定细菌种属特异性方面所发挥的作用。致病性弧菌种在粘膜表面的定殖是感染的关键过程。这种良性感染提供了一个自然的环境，在其中以最小的干扰来研究这些过程，这也可以深入了解致病性感染如何在各种宿主中介导。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this research is to elucidate the mechanisms by which animals acquire bacterial symbionts anew during each generation. To reach this goal I will take advantage of the natural association between the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, and its specific, luminescent symbiont, Vibrio fischeri. The morphology of the symbiosis facilitates direct access to the site of infection, allowing for imaging of live bacteria as they colonize nascent squid. The experiments proposed combine molecular genetic approaches with confocal laser-scanning microscopy to address the following specific aims: (1) identification of factors in V. fischeri that mediate the initiation of the symbiosis, and (2) examination of the role played by host-derived mucus in establishing the symbiosis and determining bacterial species-specificity. Colonization of mucosal surfaces by pathogenic Vibrio species is a critical process for infection. This benign infection provides a natural environment in which to study these processes with minimal perturbation, which may also yield insights into how pathogenic infections are mediated in a variety of hosts.