海蜇补体系统的结构、功能及其激活途径

The complement system is an essential component of the innate immune system and plays an important role in mediating and enhancing humoral immunity. Functions mediated by complement activation products include phagocytosis and cytolysis of pathogens, solubilization of immune complexes, and inflammation. Rhopilema esculentum is an ancient animal of two germ layers with the powerful ecological adaptiveness and efficient defense strategy. It is also a remarkable species to research the structure, function and activation pathways of complement system. In our project, molecular cloning, genomic organization and functional analysis of complement components, complement regulatory proteins and complement receptors in R. esculentum will been investigated using the related methods and techniques from molecular bioinformatics, transcriptomics, genomics and proteomics. In situ will be employed to detect the tissue distribution of their transcripts in R. esculentum. Real-time PCR analysis will be engaged to examine the temporal expression pattern of these genes in different development stages of R. esculentum post bacteria，viruses, fungi challenge. Origin of complement system, development of activation pathways and evolution mechanism of the complement-related genes will be discussed in R. esculentum. Such studies will be pivotal in providing new insights into complement-related mechanisms of recognition and defense that are essential to maintaining invertebrate homeostasis. Moreover，we propose to trigger the research of the origin and evolution mechanism of the immune-related genes in molecular diversity and function differentiation. In addition, it is likely to advance our understanding the molecular ecological mechanism of jellyfish bloom.

补体系统是天然免疫的重要组成部分，激活后可产生多种生物活性物质，实现调理吞噬、杀伤细胞、炎症介导、免疫应答和免疫复合物溶解清除等一系列生物学效应。海蜇是古老两胚层动物代表种，具有强大的生态适应能力和先进的防御策略，是研究补体系统结构、功能及其激活途径不可多得的素材。本项目拟以海蜇为研究对象，应用分子生物信息学、转录组学、基因组学和蛋白组学方法，分析海蜇补体系统中固有成分、调节因子和补体受体的组成及其cDNA和基因组结构与生物功能，了解不同补体因子的组织分布和不同发育阶段、不同外源应激下的表达规律，解析海蜇补体的激活途径，探索刺胞动物补体系统的起源、激活途径的演化和补体因子结构和功能的进化机制，为阐明补体系统在无脊椎动物免疫防御系统中的作用奠定基础。此外，本项目的实施可望为研究"免疫基因的起源、组成及其分子结构和功能的进化机制"起到以点带面的作用，也为阐明水母暴发的分子生态学机制奠定基础。

补体系统是天然免疫的重要组成部分，激活后可产生多种生物活性物质，实现调理吞噬、杀伤细胞、炎症介导、免疫应答和免疫复合物溶解清除等一系列生物学效应。海蜇是古老两胚层动物代表种，具有强大的生态适应能力和先进的防御策略，是研究补体系统结构、功能及其激活途径不可多得的素材。本项目以海蜇为研究对象，应用分子生物信息学、转录组学、基因组学和蛋白组学方法，分析了海蜇补体系统中固有成分、调节因子和补体受体的组成及其cDNA和基因组结构与生物功能，了解了不同补体因子的组织分布和不同发育阶段、不同外源应激下的表达规律，解析了海蜇补体的激活途径，并探索刺胞动物补体系统的起源、激活途径的演化和补体因子结构和功能的进化机制。这些研究结果为阐明补体系统在无脊椎动物免疫防御系统中的作用奠定基础。此外，本项目的顺利实施也为研究“免疫基因的起源、组成及其分子结构和功能的进化机制”起到以点带面的作用，并为阐明水母暴发的分子生态学机制奠定基础。在本项目的资助下，已发表论文5篇，已接受的待刊论文3篇，培养硕士研究2名。