Abstracts
Mechanisms of chemiluminescence and bioluminescence processes
Red Tide Algae Use a GPCR Mechanism to Modulate BioluminescenceAidan Mcfarland1, Libin . . Ye1
1University of South Florida, Department of Molecular Biosciences, United States of America
E-mail: mcfarlanda@usf.edu
Dinoflagellates are single-celled algae that form red tides and act as coral symbionts. Many species of dinoflagellates are bioluminescent, using a tightly regulated mechanism to produce flashes of light in response to copepod predation. However, the mechanisms for regulating the process are not completely understood. Transcriptome mining for Lingulodinium polyedra revealed candidates for multiple GPCRs and downstream effectors, including previously undescribed Gγ and IPTR candidates integral to canonical GPCR-led calcium signaling pathways. By targeting receptor candidates using transient knockdowns and CRISPR:Cas9 knockouts, we identified a GPCR candidate which induces bioluminescence—Bioluminescence-Inducing Receptor 1 (BIR1). Initial measurements using PRESTO-Tango and TRUPATH assays show taurine-conjugated lipids from copepods modulate BIR1 signaling. BIR1 may be targeted by drugs to reduce bioluminescence and promote predator-based red tide management. The stable BIR1-knockout cultures being developed in this project can also be used as the basis for an inexpensive GPCR screening platform: stimulation of introduced GPCRs of interest modified to interact with the endogenous G Protein associated with bioluminescence.
Keywords: Red Tide, Cell Signaling, G Protein-Coupled Receptors, Evolutionary Biology
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by USF startup funds and NIEHS fund NIH 1R21ES035378 (L.Y.). The author is grateful for the support of his PhD. Committee, as well as family, friends, and fellow scholars.