Mechanism of Acquired Immunity in Bacteria

细菌获得性免疫的机制

• 批准号: 0950971
• 负责人: Jennifer Doudna
• 金额: $ 62.71万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0950971&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Mechanism; Acquired; Immunity; Bacteria

Bacteria guard against viral infection by acquiring immunity to bacteriophage and plasmids. This research focuses on elucidating three critical aspects of this bacterial immune system: 1) how viral DNA sequences are incorporated into the host genome; 2) how these genomic inserts are used to produce small anti-sense RNAs; and 3) how foreign genetic elements are selectively silenced or destroyed. The longer-term goal of the project is to use these insights to engineer acquired immunity for selective microbial gene knockdown. This project has the potential to transform the way we understand gene regulation in bacteria, and to reveal the molecular basis for a previously unknown and unanticipated mechanism of anti-viral defense. The Doudna laboratory has a successful history of training students at all levels in the creative dissection of molecular mechanisms involving RNA and RNA-protein complexes using a variety of experimental methods. The project is being conducted in a highly collaborative environment at UC Berkeley, which has become a de facto center for CRISPR research encompassing ongoing work in the laboratories of Jill Banfield, Phil Hugenholtz and Adam Arkin. Quarterly joint group meetings with the Banfield lab are attended and given by all students working on CRISPR-related projects as a means of receiving outside input. An annual CRISPR conference at UC Berkeley attracts scientists from around the world to share their latest results. Students attend and present their work at this meeting, providing an outstanding opportunity for learning and discussing new results.

细菌通过获得对噬菌体和质粒的免疫力来防御病毒感染。这项研究的重点是阐明这种细菌免疫系统的三个关键方面：1）病毒DNA序列如何整合到宿主基因组中； 2) 如何使用这些基因组插入片段来产生小反义RNA； 3）如何选择性地沉默或破坏外来遗传元件。该项目的长期目标是利用这些见解来设计获得性免疫，以选择性地抑制微生物基因。该项目有可能改变我们理解细菌基因调控的方式，并揭示以前未知和未预料到的抗病毒防御机制的分子基础。 Doudna 实验室在培训各级学生使用各种实验方法创造性地剖析涉及 RNA 和 RNA-蛋白质复合物的分子机制方面有着成功的历史。该项目正在加州大学伯克利分校的高度协作环境中进行，该大学已成为事实上的 CRISPR 研究中心，包括 Jill Banfield、Phil Hugenholtz 和 Adam Arkin 实验室正在进行的工作。所有从事 CRISPR 相关项目的学生都会参加与 Banfield 实验室举行的季度联合小组会议，作为接收外部意见的一种方式。 加州大学伯克利分校一年一度的 CRISPR 会议吸引了来自世界各地的科学家分享他们的最新成果。学生们参加这次会议并展示他们的作品，为学习和讨论新成果提供了绝佳的机会。