Equipment to Enhance Genomics Research at the Hollings Marine Laboratory

霍林斯海洋实验室加强基因组学研究的设备

• 批准号: 0122393
• 负责人: Eric Lacy
• 金额: $ 9.98万
• 依托单位: Medical University of South Carolina
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-10-15 至 2003-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0122393&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Equipment; Enhance; Genomics; Research; Hollings

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Eric R. Lacy at the Medical University of South Carolina to fund equipment for studying the genetic responses of marine organisms to environmental stress. Increased pressure on the coastal environment has focused attention on how marine organisms respond to this stress. It has long been known that animals defend themselves against environmental insults through hundreds if not thousands of molecular and cellular responses. Until recently scientists had to laboriously measure each response of individual animals to various environmental challenges to try to understand which physiological systems (e.g., immune, respiratory, reproductive) were protected and which had failed. With the advent of molecular genetics, scientists have new tools to look at genes and determine which ones are turned off and turned on when the animals are environmentally stressed. However, there are tens of thousands of genes and examining them manually, a few at a time, would take years to get the answers needed. The gene arrayer and reader obtained from this grant will be used by the Marine Genome Project in Charleston, SC, to simultaneously examine thousands of genes from shrimp, oysters, dolphins, stingrays, corals, and algae. The experimental goals of this group are to use "functional genomics" (changes in gene expression correlated with changes in marine environmental stress) to: 1) find early genetic markers of stress in marine organisms, 2) use the genetic information to diagnose and predict the particular stress or infection the animal may have, 3) identify new genes that might protect these marine animals from infection and stress, and 4) detect interactions among genes. Expressed genes are isolated from target tissues in the animals before, during and after stress. Then a comparison is made for each animal to see which genes are turned on and which are turned off under each of these conditions. The results of these studies will show which genes are important in an animal's defense mechanisms. These findings have broad implications for environmental and human health because the two are intimately linked. For example, early genetic changes in an organism may predict changes occurring in the environment that cannot be monitored in any other way. This information also should help selective marine animal breeding programs for aquatic food suppliers. Furthermore, the information from this study should assist scientists in better understanding the mechanisms of the current world-wide decline of coral reefs. The equipment purchased under this award will reside in the newly constructed Hollings Marine Lab, an inter-institutional lab that houses all partners of the Marine Genome Project and the College of Charleston. Students at all levels (high school, undergraduate and graduate) will be trained to use this equipment through internships.

南卡罗来纳州医科大学的埃里克·莱西（Eric R. 对沿海环境的压力增加已将注意力集中在海洋生物如何应对这种压力上。长期以来，人们已经知道，动物通过数百个甚至数千个分子和细胞反应来捍卫自己的环境侮辱。 直到最近，科学家必须为各种环境挑战的每种反应而有费力地测量各种环境挑战的反应，以了解哪些生理系统（例如免疫，呼吸，生殖）受到保护且未失败。 随着分子遗传学的出现，科学家有了新的工具来研究基因，并在对环境压力时关闭了哪些基因并打开了基因。但是，有成千上万的基因并手动检查它们，一次需要数年才能获得所需的答案。从该赠款获得的基因阵列和读者将由SC查尔斯顿的海洋基因组项目使用，同时检查虾，牡蛎，海豚，黄貂鱼，珊瑚和藻类的数千个基因。 该组的实验目标是使用“功能基因组学”（基因表达的变化与海洋环境压力的变化相关）至：1）在海洋生物体中找到压力的早期遗传标记，2）使用遗传信息来诊断并预测该动物的特定压力或预测该动物的特定压力或感染，3）可能会识别这些海洋动物的新基因，可以识别这些海洋动物侵蚀和相互作用。在压力之前，之中和之后，从动物的靶组织中分离出表达的基因。然后进行比较，以使每只动物查看哪些基因已打开并在每个条件下都关闭。这些研究的结果将表明哪些基因在动物的防御机制中很重要。这些发现对环境和人类健康具有广泛的影响，因为两者密切相关。例如，生物体的早期遗传变化可能预测环境中无法以任何其他方式监测的变化。该信息还应帮助水生食物供应商选择性的海洋动物育种计划。此外，这项研究的信息应帮助科学家更好地理解当前全球珊瑚礁下降的机制。 根据该奖项购买的设备将居住在新建的Hollings Marine Lab，这是一个机构间实验室，该实验室内拥有海洋基因组项目和查尔斯顿学院的所有合作伙伴。 各个级别的学生（高中，本科和毕业生）将接受实习培训以使用此设备。