Center for Biophysical Studies on Macromolecular Assemblies

建立大分子有序组装定量系统生物学研究培训中心。该中心的正式名称是大分子组装生物物理研究中心，它将是约翰·霍普金斯大学正在开发的一个新的生物物理研究所的组成部分。该研究所和生物研究中心将整合来自不同校园的教师。目前已知的大分子组件分布广泛，包括基因转录复合体、膜运输系统、收缩纤维和存在于DNA复制叉处的复合体。这些组装是生命过程的中心元素，位于传统细胞生物学和生物化学学科之间的交界处。四个相互作用的项目将是生物研究中心最初的研究重点，即蛋白质-核酸系统的结构和调控相互作用，细胞骨架的分子力学，蛋白质低聚复合体的结构和功能，如质子转运ATPase，以及蛋白质的稳定性和折叠问题。该中心的总体努力将包括合作研究、跨学科培训、教育和外联。通过其研究和培训计划的结果，大分子组装生物物理研究中心应该对基础生物学和应用生物学产生世界影响。该中心将整合基因工程、计算科学和分子图形学以及结构仪器等新技术，为大分子络合物的作用机理开发一个物理分析框架。这些技术为有组织的大分子系统的定量生物物理研究开辟了一个新时代。数量生物学和分子生物物理学的一般学科一直被忽视，但随着新技术的出现，它变得非常重要。这些都是基础生物学中非常核心的问题，这些研究项目将是20世纪90年代基础生物科学进步的核心。此外，这项工作对生物技术和制药行业的未来发展以及其他应用都非常重要。为了加强已经强大的团队，将在现有的17名教员基础上增设新的教职。一个专门的博士后培训计划将构成该中心的主要组成部分。该计划将为年轻科学家提供高水平的跨学科培训，他们将处于有利地位，推动新兴的大分子系统生物学领域的发展。对该中心合作项目的期望是，可能会出现一套一般原则和新的概念框架。这将使人们能够更严格地了解生命系统，并在将生物科学应用于开发未来生物技术方面具有更强的预测力。

A research and training center for quantitative systems biology of organized macromolecular assemblies will be established. The center, formally called the Center for Biophysical Studies on Macromolecular Assemblies, will be an integral part of a new Institute for Biophysical Research being developed at The Johns Hopkins University. The Institute and the Biological Research Center will integrate faculty from different campuses. Macromolecular assemblies are now known to be wide spread and include the gene transcription complexes, the membrane transport systems, contractile fibers, and the complexes present at DNA replication forks. These assemblies are central elements to life processes and lie at the interface between traditional disciplines of cell biology and biochemistry. Four interacting projects will be the initial research focus of the Biological Research Center, namely, the structure and regulatory interactions of protein-nucleic acid systems, the molecular mechanics of the cytoskeleton, the structure and function of protein oligomeric complexes such as proton-translocating ATPases, and the problem of protein stability and folding. The overall efforts of the Center will include collaborative research, interdisciplinary training, education and outreach. Through the results of its research and training programs, the Center for Biophysical Studies on Macromolecular Assemblies should have a worldwide impact on fundamental and applied biology. The Center will integrate the new technologies of genetic engineering, computational science and molecular graphics, and structural instrumentation, to develop a framework for the physical analysis of the functional mechanisms of macromolecular complexes. These technologies have set the stage for a new era in the quantitative biophysical study of organized macromolecular systems. The general discipline of quantitative biology and molecular biophysics has been neglected, but with the advent of the new technologies has become very important. These are very central questions in basic biology, and these research projects will be at the core of advances in basic biological sciences in the 1990s. In addition, this work is very important for the future development of biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry, among other applications. To strengthen the already strong group, new faculty positions will be created to add to the 17 current faculty members. A special postdoctoral training program will form a major component of the Center. This program will provide a high-level interdisciplinary training for young scientists, who will be in a good position to advance the emerging field of macromolecular systems biology. The expectation for the collaborative projects in the center is that a set of general principles and new conceptual frameworks may emerge. This would allow a more rigorous understanding of living systems and more predictive power in the application of biological science to developing future biotechnologies.