Gene-Environment Interactions in Euryhaline Shore Crabs

广盐蟹的基因与环境相互作用

• 批准号: 0543860
• 负责人: David Towle
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-03-01 至 2009-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0543860&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Gene; Environment; Interactions; Euryhaline; Shore

Shore crabs in the genus Carcinus are among the most invasive marine organisms known, easily establishing themselves in ecosystems far from their native origins. Apparently introduced through exchanges of ships bilge water, these crabs are highly tolerant of environmental extremes and thus can survive not only conditions during transport but also at their foreign destination. In these new environments, their aggressive nature can lead to disruptive changes in ecological relationships. To better understand the biology of Carcinus species, the proposed research will characterize at least 10,000 functional genes in the genome of the European shore crab Carcinus maenas, a common non-indigenous species in coastal regions of North America. A non-redundant set of these genes will be printed as DNA spots in microarrays on glass slides, representing a significant fraction of the crab genome. The initial physiological tests of environmental tolerance will focus on adaptation to salinity extremes and associated changes in gene activity. Gene products will be extracted from crab tissues, labeled with a fluorescent dye, and then added to the microarrays. Active genes will be visible as bright spots on the microarrays. Microarray results will be checked with an independent method to develop a gene expression signature for each experimental treatment. Conclusions based on Carcinus maenas will be compared with the Mediterranean shore crab Carcinus aestuarii, whose tissue samples will be obtained through collaboration with investigators at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This study of gene expression changes in response to environmental stimuli may lead to the identification of weak links in the physiology of non-indigenous shore crabs, establishing possible targets for future population control and restoration of ecological balance in coastal ecosystems affected by these invasive animals. The proposed research represents the first known application of microarray analysis to a study of gene-salinity interactions in marine organisms. The PI is actively involved in training undergraduate and graduate students from his own institution as well as other institutions within and outside of the USA, and has developed a core curriculum for molecular techniques training and will include a female student from Croatia be the first summer participant in the research. This research will be of interest to marine biologists, comparative physiologists as well as molecular biologists interested in gene regulation.

蟹属的岸蟹是已知最具侵入性的海洋生物之一，很容易在远离其原生起源的生态系统中建立自己的家园。 这些螃蟹显然是通过船舶舱底水交换引入的，对极端环境具有高度耐受性，因此不仅可以在运输过程中生存，而且可以在国外目的地生存。 在这些新环境中，它们的攻击性可能会导致生态关系发生破坏性变化。 为了更好地了解 Carcinus 物种的生物学，拟议的研究将表征欧洲滨蟹 Carcinus maenas 基因组中至少 10,000 个功能基因，Carcinus maenas 是北美沿海地区常见的非本土物种。 这些基因的非冗余组将作为 DNA 点打印在载玻片上的微阵列中，代表螃蟹基因组的重要部分。 环境耐受性的最初生理测试将侧重于对极端盐度的适应和相关的基因活性变化。 基因产物将从螃蟹组织中提取，用荧光染料标记，然后添加到微阵列中。 活性基因将作为微阵列上的亮点可见。 将使用独立的方法检查微阵列结果，以开发每个实验处理的基因表达特征。 基于 Carcinus maenas 的结论将与地中海岸蟹 Carcinus aestuarii 进行比较，后者的组织样本将通过与克罗地亚杜布罗夫尼克海洋学和渔业研究所的研究人员合作获得。 这项针对环境刺激响应的基因表达变化的研究可能会导致识别非本地岸蟹生理学中的薄弱环节，为未来种群控制和恢复受这些入侵动物影响的沿海生态系统的生态平衡建立可能的目标。 拟议的研究代表了微阵列分析在海洋生物基因-盐度相互作用研究中的首次已知应用。 PI 积极参与培训其所在机构以及美国国内外其他机构的本科生和研究生，并开发了分子技术培训核心课程，并将包括一名来自克罗地亚的女学生作为第一位夏季参与者在研究中。这项研究将引起海洋生物学家、比较生理学家以及对基因调控感兴趣的分子生物学家的兴趣。