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中重新获得细菌共生体的机制。为了达到这个目的，我将利用夏威夷短尾乌贼（Euprymna scolopes）和它特有的发光共生体费氏弧菌（Vibrio fischeri）之间的自然联系。共生的形态有利于直接进入感染部位，允许成像的活细菌，因为他们定植新生的鱿鱼。该实验建议将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素，以及(2)检查宿主衍生粘液在建立共生和确定细菌物种特异性方面所起的作用。致病性弧菌在粘膜表面的定植是感染的关键过程。这种良性感染提供了一个自然环境，在其中研究这些过程的扰动最小，这也可能产生对致病性感染如何在各种宿主中介导的见解。

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.