Molecular Mechanisms of Thermal Tolerance in Drosophila

果蝇耐热性的分子机制

• 批准号: 1557781
• 负责人: Paul Garrity
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: Brandeis University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-07-01 至 2021-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1557781&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Molecular; Mechanisms; Thermal; Tolerance; Drosophila

Temperature has a major impact on animal physiology, and the ability to withstand daily and seasonal fluctuations in environmental temperature is critical for survival. This challenge is particularly acute for small insects, which include major agricultural pests and animal disease vectors, from aphids and flies to mosquitoes. The body temperatures of these animals closely follow the ambient temperature, and their sensitivity to temperature, especially cold, is a key factor in determining their geographic distributions. In this project, the researchers will probe the molecular and cellular pathways through which animals adjust their physiology to withstand cooling, using the fruit fly Drosophila as a model. The key systems this animal uses to sense that the environmental temperature is dropping will be identified. Next, the researchers will examine how the initial sensation of cooling is communicated to and processed by the brain. Finally, the investigators will examine how signals from the brain act to adjust the animal's physiology so that key organ systems are able to cope with environmental change. From an intellectual perspective, these studies will provide insight into how an animal's senses can modulate its physiology, and into how an animal can respond to environmental challenges. This work is designed with several broader impact objectives. These include training undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral fellows in biological research, providing experiential learning opportunities to engage undergraduate students in scientific research, providing mentored teaching opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and providing publicly available resources for the research and educational communities. Temperature affects all biological processes, and the ability to sustain physiological function despite fluctuations in body temperature is important for animal survival. In this proposal, the investigators will examine how animals withstand temperature fluctuations, particularly cooling, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model. The proposal uses a combination of molecular genetics, physiology and behavior to examine three main research goals. First, the cellular and molecular sensors through which cooling is detected to initiate physiological changes that confer cool tolerance will be identified and studied. Second, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in eliciting these physiological changes will be identified and examined. Third, the extent of inter-species variation and environmental plasticity in cool tolerance among multiple Drosophila species will be explored, identifying promising natural variants and regulatory strategies for further study. Together, these studies will provide insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which animals sense temperature and modulate their thermotolerance to cope with fluctuations in environmental temperature.

温度对动物生理有重大影响，并且在环境温度下每天承受和季节性波动的能力对于生存至关重要。对于小型昆虫来说，这一挑战尤其急切，其中包括主要的农业害虫和动物疾病媒介，从蚜虫和苍蝇到蚊子。这些动物的体温紧随环境温度，它们对温度尤其是冷的敏感性是确定其地理分布的关键因素。在这个项目中，研究人员将使用果蝇果蝇作为模型来探测动物的分子和细胞途径，以通过该途径来承受冷却。该动物用来感觉到环境温度下降的关键系统将被鉴定出来。接下来，研究人员将研究如何将冷却的初始感觉传达给大脑和处理。最后，调查人员将研究如何调整动物生理的信号如何调整动物的生理，以便关键器官系统能够应对环境变化。从智力的角度来看，这些研究将提供有关动物感官如何调节其生理学以及动物如何应对环境挑战的见解。这项工作的设计具有更广泛的影响目标。其中包括在生物学研究中培训本科，研究生和博士后研究员，提供体验式学习机会，使本科生参与科学研究，为研究生和博士后研究员提供指导的教学机会，并为研究和教育的公开资源提供研究和教育资源。社区。温度会影响所有生物过程，尽管体温波动，但仍能维持生理功能的能力对于动物的存活很重要。在此提案中，研究人员将使用果蝇果蝇Melanogaster作为模型来研究动物如何承受温度波动，尤其是冷却。该提案结合了分子遗传学，生理和行为来检查三个主要的研究目标。首先，检测到冷却以启动生理变化的细胞和分子传感器将被鉴定和研究，并研究并研究冷却耐受性。其次，将鉴定并检查引发这些生理变化的细胞和分子机制。第三，将探索多种果蝇物种之间凉爽耐受性的种间变化和环境可塑性的程度，从而确定有希望的自然变异和调节策略以进行进一步研究。 总之，这些研究将提供有关动物感知温度并调节其温度耐受性以应对环境温度波动的细胞和分子机制的见解。