The Role of Metacaspases in Mediating Cell Fate During Viral Infection of Unicelluar, Marine Phytoplankton

单细胞、海洋浮游植物病毒感染期间元半胱天冬酶在介导细胞命运中的作用

• 批准号: 0717494
• 负责人: Kay Bidle
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-01 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0717494&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Role; Metacaspases; Mediating; Cell; Fate

Phytoplankton, microscopic photoautotrophs that drift with the currents, account for 1% of the Earth's biomass, yet they are responsible for nearly 50% of global annual carbon-based primary productivity. Steady-state maintenance of such a high production to biomass ratio implies that, on average, these organisms grow, die, and are replaced weekly. The primary mechanism used by biological oceanographers to explain the high lysis rates of phytoplankton has been infection by viruses. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating infection have been virtually ignored, even though they have important ecosystem consequences, such as coupling primary productivity to microbial foodwebs and short-circuiting carbon export to the deep ocean. This project will investigate whether metacaspases, putative programmed cell death (PCD) proteases, mediate the fate of marine phytoplankton by executing PCD upon viral infection. Proposed research will specifically elucidate whether the regulation of metacaspase expression and activity controls susceptibility or tolerance to viral infection. By integrating concepts in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell communication, results will provide unprecedented insight into phytoplankton PCD from organismal, ecological, and evolutionary contexts. Experiments will utilize an algal-virus model system, consisting of the coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, and its specific Coccolithoviruses (EhV). Experiments will employ a variety of physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology techniques including immunoprecipitation, genetic transformation, polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, enzyme activity assays, microscopy, and flow cytometry. This project will provide excellent hands-on training for development of graduate and undergraduate students, broaden the participation of women, and provide a platform for researchers with different levels of training to interact and develop. It will build both on established national and international collaborations and foster new ones. Research activities will interface with the Mid-Atlantic Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (MA-COSEE), by participating in K-12 teacher workshops and in outreach programs at New Jersey's Liberty Science Center that introduce urban, largely minority, children and families to marine science. Specific goals are to stimulate awareness of the immense diversity and large-scale importance of marine microbes to ocean function.

浮游植物，随着电流漂移的微观光自足，占地球生物量的1％，但它们占全球年度基于碳的初级生产力的近50％。 稳态维持这种高产量与生物量的比例意味着，平均而言，这些生物体生长，死亡并每周被替换。生物海洋学家用来解释浮游植物的高裂解率的主要机制已被病毒感染。然而，尽管它们具有重要的生态系统后果，例如将主要生产力耦合到微生物食物量和短路向深海出口。 该项目将调查MetAcaspase，推定的程序性细胞死亡（PCD）蛋白酶是否通过在病毒感染时执行PCD来介导海洋浮游植物的命运。 拟议的研究将特别阐明肠胃菜酶表达和活性控制病毒感染的易感性或耐受性。通过将概念整合到生物化学，分子生物学和细胞交流中，结果将提供对生物，生态和进化环境中浮游植物PCD的前所未有的见解。实验将利用由Coccolithophore，Emiliania Huxleyi及其特定的Coccolithovires（EHV）组成的藻类病毒模型系统。实验将采用各种生理学，生物化学和分子生物学技术，包括免疫沉淀，遗传转化，聚合酶链反应，蛋白质印迹分析，酶活性测定，显微镜和流式细胞仪。该项目将为研究生和本科生的发展提供出色的动手培训，扩大妇女的参与，并为接受不同培训的研究人员提供互动和发展的平台。它将建立在既定的国家和国际合作和培养新合作的基础上。研究活动将通过参加K-12教师研讨会和新泽西州自由科学中心的宣传计划，与中大西洋海洋科学教育卓越中心（MA-COSEE）与中大西洋中心中心互动，该课程将介绍城市，大部分少数民族，儿童和家庭向海洋科学介绍。具体目标是刺激对海洋微生物对海洋功能的巨大多样性和大规模重要性的认识。