FIBR Planning: A Systems Approach to Study Redox Regulation of Functions of Photosynthetic Organisms

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Redox chemistry is central to the functions of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria and plants. In this project, research will be initiated on a SYSTEMS analysis of the impact of cellular redox status on the overall function of cyanobacteria, with future applications to plants. The focus is on four cyanobacterial species, each with a completed sequenced genome. Two species, Synechocystis 6803 and Anabaena 7120, are amenable to high-throughput genome level manipulations. Although the inventory of genes, transcripts and proteins are available for these organisms, they are inadequate to comprehend the organizational hierarchy of the complex functions of these cyanobacteria. The project will involve a multidisciplinary approach. Expertise of the project team spans molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics and systems approach in engineering, including nonlinear modeling and control, estimation and statistical analysis. Experimental research experience of the team spans model systems in cyanobacteria, non-vascular (moss) and vascular plants (Arabidopsis). Multiple network models will study interactions between molecular components of cyanobacterial cells, formulate working hypotheses, and data from such hypotheses will refine the model. This process will generate fundamental insights into the organization and function of the redox control network in these organisms. This approach to model a network in cyanobacteria, then to apply it to plants, will highlight the nature of processes during the evolution of land plants.During this planning period, (a) the team will participate in monthly meetings; (b) a workshop will be organized; and (c) the plan for a full-length FIBR project will be formulated. Undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees will participate in these activities.