Heat shock protein gene expression in fish across space and time

温度是影响所有生物体的最重要的环境变量之一。物种在自然界的分布格局、生理系统和生化反应速率都受到其普遍影响的影响。对温度变化最普遍的分子水平反应之一是合成一组高度保守的蛋白质，称为热休克蛋白(HSPs)。热休克蛋白通过稳定部分未折叠的蛋白质和防止蛋白质聚集来应对压力引起的受损蛋白质的增加。在非应激条件下，热休克蛋白也扮演着‘分子伴侣’的角色，在那里它们促进蛋白质折叠、运输和细胞信号传递。这种反应的普遍存在，以及完全不同的生物之间热休克蛋白基因序列的高度保守，突出了它的重要性，并强调了进一步了解的必要性。外温(冷血)生物特别容易受到温度变化的影响，因此是检验其环境调节的极佳模型。在此背景下，我的研究项目将实地研究和实验室实验相结合，以量化热应激如何影响鱼类HSP基因的表达和调控。该程序将首次对鱼类广泛的纬度分布范围内的HSP表达进行分析，并将提供有关热休克反应如何参与确定物种范围边界的有价值的信息。它还将研究热史对热休克蛋白基因表达和生长指标的影响，提供对与温度变化相关的生理成本的洞察。基因表达的组织特异性和时间变化可能暗示新的耐温机制，并揭示脊椎动物这种适应性反应的进化。研究细胞膜在温度传感中的作用将增强我们对控制这种适应性反应的机制的了解，并有助于观察到自然界中的可塑性。这一计划将增进我们对热应激对鱼类生理影响的理解，并增强我们预测、甚至缓解未来气候变化的一些生物后果的能力。

Temperature is one of the most important environmental variables affecting all organisms. Distribution patterns of species in nature, physiological systems, and biochemical reaction rates are all shaped by its pervasive effects. One of the most universal molecular-level responses to temperature change is the synthesis of a highly conserved group of proteins called heat shock proteins (Hsps). Hsps respond to stress-induced increases in damaged proteins by stabilizing partially unfolded proteins and preventing protein aggregation. Hsps also play a role during non-stress conditions as 'molecular chaperones' where they facilitate protein folding, transport and cell signaling. The prevalence of this response, and the high degree of Hsp gene sequence conservation between completely divergent organisms, highlights its importance and emphasizes the need for further understanding. Ectothermic (cold-blooded) organisms are especially vulnerable to temperature change and thus make excellent models in which to examine its environmental regulation. In this context, my research program combines field studies and laboratory experiments to quantify how thermal stress impacts the expression and regulation of Hsp genes in fish. This program will provide the first analysis of Hsp expression across a wide latitudinal distribution of a fish and will contribute valuable information about how the heat shock response participates in determining species range boundaries. It will also examine the impact of thermal history on gene expression of Hsps and growth indicators, providing insight into the physiological costs associated with temperature change. Tissue-specific and temporal changes in gene expression could suggest new mechanisms of temperature tolerance and shed light on the evolution of this adaptive response in vertebrates. Examining the role of the cell membrane in temperature sensing will enhance our knowledge about the mechanisms that control this adaptive response and contribute to its observed plasticity in nature. This program will advance our understanding of the physiological effects of thermal stress on fish and enhance our power to predict, and perhaps even mitigate, some of the biological consequences of future climate change.