Crypto Systems in Ciliates

纤毛虫的加密系统

• 批准号: 0527120
• 负责人: Marion Scheepers
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Boise State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-01-15 至 2006-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0527120&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Crypto; Systems; Ciliates

This award supports research and curriculum activities under the Interdisciplinary Grants in the Mathematical Sciences program. The principal investigator proposes to visit the Biology Department at his home institution, Boise State University, for eleven months during the 2006 calendar year.The purpose of the visit is to establish an independent research program focused on programmablemolecular rearrangement phenomena in cell biology, to develop fruitful collaboration with biologists, andto develop an interdisciplinary master's degree course in Biomolecular computing.The main model of the investigation will be the development of the macro nucleus from the micro nucleus in hypotrichous ciliates. Genes in the macro nucleus are actively expressed during the life cycle of such ciliates, while the micro nucleus is transcriptionally silent. The micro nucleus contains the genes of the macro nucleus in encrypted form, and after fertilization of such a ciliate, the old macro nucleus degenerates and a new one is produced by an unusual decryption process, decrypting the micro nucleus.The investigator will explore, in collaboration with Drs Munger, Oxford and Smith and other members of theDepartment of Biology, (i) the mathematicalproperties of these ciliate cryptosystems, (ii) to what extent these crypto technologies can be manipulated to solve computational mathematical problems and to perform encryptions or decryptions, and (iii) to what extent the crypto technologies of two different hypotrich species are compatible. The latter may shed some light on the evolutionary relationship among different hypotrich species. The investigator and his collaborators in the Biology department will design and perform a number of laboratory experiments to test mathematical models that will be constructed to model these bi-nuclearphenomena in hypotrichous ciliates. Concurrently, definitive course materials and experiences will be prepared for the interdisciplinary course. This includes lecture- and study-materials, supporting laboratory experiments and supporting computational resources.This IGMS project is jointly supported by the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) and the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS).

该奖项支持数学科学计划中跨学科赠款下的研究和课程活动。主要研究者计划在2006年期间访问他的家乡博伊西州立大学生物系11个月。访问的目的是建立一个独立的研究计划，重点是细胞生物学中的可编程分子重排现象，与生物学家开展富有成效的合作，本研究的主要模式是从下毛类纤毛虫的微细胞核发展成大细胞核。大核中的基因在这些纤毛虫的生命周期中积极表达，而微核则在转录上沉默。微细胞核中含有加密形式的大细胞核基因，在这种纤毛虫受精后，旧的大细胞核退化，并通过一个不寻常的解密过程产生一个新的大细胞核，解密微细胞核。研究人员将与Munger博士，Oxford和Smith以及生物系的其他成员合作，探索（i）这些纤毛虫密码系统的生物学特性，（ii）在何种程度上可以操纵这些密码技术来解决计算数学问题并执行加密或解密，以及（iii）在何种程度上两种不同的hypotrich物种的密码技术是兼容的。后者可能有助于揭示不同腹毛类物种之间的进化关系。研究人员和他在生物学系的合作者将设计和执行一些实验室实验，以测试将被构建来模拟这些hypotrichous纤毛虫双核现象的数学模型。与此同时，将为跨学科课程编写确定的教材和经验。这包括讲座和学习材料，支持实验室实验和支持计算资源。该IGMS项目由MPS多学科活动办公室（OMA）和数学科学部（DMS）联合支持。