精氨酸激酶在虾夷扇贝应对海洋酸化的分子调控机制研究

Ocean acidification has adverse consequences for growth, development, reproduction and the special biominerlization of marine calcifiers. While diverse physiological and ecological effects have been identified, changes in those molecular mechanisms, which shape the physiological phenotype of a species and limit its capacity to compensate, remain poorly understood. Our preliminary results suggest that Arginine kinase (AK) is the major regulatory factor when Yesso scallop responses to ocean acidification. Based on the current results, our project plans to use calcifier Yesso scallop as experimental materials, using RNA-Seq and MethylRAD-Seq，to (1) illuminate the biological effects of the whole life stage; (2) construct the AK regulatory network; (3) acquire the epigenetic regulatory modes of key genes in the network. All these studies will provide the valuable knowledge and help us to elucidate the mechanism how scallops adapt to ocean acidification.

海洋酸化对海洋贝类等钙化生物的生长、发育、繁殖和特有的贝壳生物矿化过程产生不利影响。目前，贝类应对海洋酸化的分子调控机制仍缺乏全面了解，阐述核心调控因子在贝类应对海洋酸化过程中的作用对揭示该过程的分子调控机制具有重要意义。课题组通过前期工作发现精氨酸激酶（Arginine kinase，AK）在虾夷扇贝应对海洋酸化的过程中起到核心调控作用，很可能是贝类应对海洋酸化的关键基因。本课题以虾夷扇贝这一钙化贝类为研究对象，应用RNA-Seq表达谱分析和MethylRAD-Seq甲基化分析技术，阐明海洋酸化条件下虾夷扇贝生长发育各时期的生物学响应，构建AK的基因调控网络，分析网络关键基因的表观调控模式，系统解析虾夷扇贝AK基因应对海洋酸化的分子调控机制，为理解贝类对全球气候变化这一自然选择的适应性提供依据。