Functional Genomics of Coenzyme Biosynthesis in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

在后基因组时代出现的一个明显事实是，地球上的生物体中有许多基因，即所谓的假设基因，我们对其功能一无所知。在原核生物中，这种情况最为严重。为了开始解决这个问题，该项目将解决参与辅酶（维生素）的生物合成的未知基因在超嗜热的广古菌詹氏甲烷醛球菌，数十亿不同类型的原核生物之一。这项研究将允许对这些假设基因中的一些基因的功能进行注释，并定义新的生化反应。这些新的生化反应的发现将扩大对特定反应的广泛理解，这些反应可能涉及辅酶的产生，辅酶是生命起源中至关重要的化合物。该项目更广泛的影响是，它将有助于维持对年轻科学家的持续本科和研究生培训。学生将接触到许多不同的科学学科和方法，包括但不限于分子生物学，有机合成，不同形式的光谱学，酶学，生物信息学，分析生物化学，益生元化学和厌氧微生物学，所有这些都在一个环境中。本科生将通过实验室的本科研究参与这项工作。预计学生在实验室工作期间将产生一个原始的审查出版的科学工作，这进一步为他们在科学的未来职业生涯做好准备。培训博士后在这一研究领域工作也至关重要。

One clear fact emerging in this post genomic age is that there are many genes, so called hypothetical genes, in the organisms on earth for which we have no idea as to their function. Nowhere is this more acute than in the prokaryotes. To begin to address this problem this project will address the unknown genes involved in the biosynthesis of the coenzymes (vitamins) in the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, one of the billions of different types of prokaryotes. The research will allow the annotation of function to some of these hypothetical genes and define new biochemical reactions. Discovery of these new biochemical reactions will extend the general understanding of the breadth of specific reactions that could have been involved in the production of coenzymes, compounds critical in the origin of life. The broader impact of this project is that it will help sustain ongoing undergraduate and graduate training of young scientists. Students will be exposed to many different scientific disciplines and methods, including but not limited to molecular biology, organic synthesis, different forms of spectroscopy, enzymology, bioinformatics, analytical biochemistry, prebiotic chemistry, and anaerobic microbiology, all in one setting. Undergraduate students will participate in this work through undergraduate research in the lab. Students are expected to produce one original reviewed published scientific work during their time in the lab, which further prepares them for a future career in the sciences. The training of post-docs to work in this area of research is also critical.