Perkinsus marinus is a facultative intracellular parasite that causes "Dermo" disease in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. In recent decades it has devastated oyster beds along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast, with catastrophic consequences for local fisheries and the health of coastal waters. Additional Perkinsus species threaten shellfisheries of clams and abalone worldwide. Research on P. marinus has resulted in management strategies to minimize the effects of the disease on oyster harvests but the distribution of the parasite continues to spread and no effective treatment for Dermo disease has been developed. In order to facilitate further research on this ecologically and economically important parasite, the complete sequence of the 28 Mb P. marinus genome will be determined by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and the Center for Marine Biotechnology (COMB). In addition, 10,000 Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) will be generated from cDNA libraries and used to produce a P. marinus Gene Index. Sequence data and annotation will be made available to the scientific community via P. marinus Genome and Gene Index web sites at TIGR, as well as by release to GenBank. The project will provide significant educational and training activities including support for postdoctoral trainees, summer students, and interns. The research activities will also be used to develop the Perkinsus/oyster disease model for conceptual and hands-on experiences within the COMB SciTech program for K-12 students from the Baltimore region.
