This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Jacques Robert IOS-0923772 Interaction of The Xenopus Immune System With An Emerging Ranavirus Pathogeni
Amphibians are undergoing a world-wide decline; certain species are becoming extinct. We know that die-offs of some species are associated with certain viral pathogens, but we do not know why their immune systems are not protecting them. If amphibian die-offs partially reflect natural or man-made environmental changes that are immunosuppressive, awareness of these environmental factors are necessary to re-establish ecological balance for the health of man and frogs, alike. This project uses the frog Xenopus as a laboratory model to continue to investigate the mechanisms of viral immunity at the molecular, cellular and whole organism level. The investigators will examine in detail the role of T cells in protecting the frog against subsequent infections. The importance of immune surveillance will also be evaluated in the whole organism by generating transgenic frogs and over-expressing important immune genes. Finally, the dual roles of immune cells of the peritoneal cavity in helping the host immune response as well as serving as permissive viral reservoir allowing covert infection will be investigated. This project will contribute to a better fundamental understanding of the evolution of viral immunity. It will provide the closest and most realistic assessment of the importance of host immunity as a susceptibility factor contributing in emerging viral diseases in general, and in the global decline of amphibians, in particular. This study may also provide practical methods to probe viral infection in wild population of amphibians. Understanding the causes of amphibian decline is of public interest, and may reveal pratical ways to protect endangered amphibian species from infectious agents. Finally, this project will offer opportunity for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, including underrepresented minorities, to study fundamental immunology in the context of viral diseases, and to learn modern molecular and cellular techniques.
