EAGER: Exploring Gene Network States

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Genome studies have shown that many genes but few processes are universally conserved. In contrast, gene networks and the principles that govern their states are emerging as possible foci of universality. To address this issue, the investigator will exploit two unicellular organisms whose relatively low level of complexity should make discerning formal network patterns of gene activity much easier. The investigator will construct strains of the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia and the amoebo-flagellate Naegleria gruberi having various pair-wise combinations of gene knockdowns, and then use these strains to test the effects of such manipulations on the cells' behaviors and on genomic patterns of gene expression. Through their analysis, the PI will search for common network patterns that may represent a cell's repertoire of fundamental states. Conservation of such network states is likely to be a critical factor in evolution and may be the fundamental requirement for life. A repertoire adequate for such networks to assemble, function, and respond to novel conditions may well be the key factor that permitted the origin and survival of living cells. As such, success in this study would also have major implications for evolutionary theory and for the plausibility of synthesizing living things. The successful synthesis of new life forms, in turn, has the potential to lead to major technological advances to protect and improve the health of the environment, as well as wide-ranging implications for applications such as designing artificial networks for computing and communications. Educational and training aspects of the project will consist of careful mentoring of postdoctoral researchers and undergraduate students in both the conduct of research and the underlying scientific questions. Public outreach will consist of lectures on the relationship between genes and behavior and the role of gene networks.