It is well known that the human immune system generates a large diversity of antibodies to defend against pathogens; the mechanisms to generate that diversity are well understood. Although invertebrate animals do not make antibodies, they also can generate immune diversity in response to infection; but these mechanisms are still poorly understood. The overarching goal of this work is to understand the mechanisms that one invertebrate, the California purple sea urchin, employs to defend itself against the multitudes of microbes in the ocean by generating a diversity of non-antibody proteins. The PI will investigate one family of genes and proteins (the Sp185/333 gene family) in sea urchins that shows a high level of diversity in response to bacterial infection. Using a variety of molecular, biochemical and computational approaches, the PI will address 1) how immune diversity is generated within this non-antibody gene family 2) how expression of this family of genes is regulated and 3) how the proteins thus produced actually function to protect the animal from pathogens.
Outcomes from the proposed work will be compared with immune mechanisms in other animals, including mice and humans, to understand the variety and breadth of how different immune systems protect hosts from infection. Understanding how the sea urchin immune diversification system functions may aid in determining whether other animals, such as humans, employ similar approaches.
The investigators will use the opportunity for training all levels of students and to establish and strengthen international collaborations. Training will include the production of a web-based, publicly available bioinformatic tool for improved gene sequence assembly and analysis. Research training will lead to publications and presentations and research training for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral investigators.
