CAREER: Unlocking Organism's Potential Using Computational and Experimental Approaches

该项目由工程部CBET部的生物技术、生化和生物量工程计划以及NSF生物学部内的MCB部的网络和调控组支持，将创建新的计算工具，可广泛用于加强对生物技术和环境中重要细菌的了解。尽管已经对一千个微生物基因组进行了测序，但这些测序的有机体中的许多还没有得到很好的实验表征。然而，这些基因组序列中的信息可以用来生成新陈代谢和转录调控的计算模型。该项目的目标是使用这样的模型来设计实验，以提高对这些特征较少的生物体的新陈代谢和调节的理解。通过结合计算和实验方法，PI将阐明两种希瓦纳氏菌(具有环境和生物技术应用的细菌)的代谢和转录调控网络。该项目的成果将是更好地了解这些细菌的新陈代谢和调控，并收集一系列可广泛应用于其他测序生物体的实验设计和模型改进的计算工具。作为本项目的一部分，本科生将参与计算和实验研究活动。将开发与这些研究活动有关的在线课程材料和会前讲习班，以教育威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校和其他机构的本科生和研究生。此外，还将为12岁至12岁的女性和研究生组织讲习班和活动，以更多地了解科学、工程和学术界的职业。

This project, supported by the Biotechnology, Biochemical and Biomass Engineering program, in the CBET division within the Engineering directorate, and the Networks and Regulation Cluster within the MCB division within Biology directorate at NSF, will create new computational tools that can be widely used to enhance the understanding of bacteria that are important in biotechnology and the environment. Even though a thousand microbial genomes have been sequenced many of these sequenced organisms have not been well characterized experimentally. However, the information in these genome sequences can be used to generate computational models of metabolism and transcriptional regulation. The goals of this project are to use such models to design experiments that improve the understanding of metabolism and regulation in these less characterized organisms. By combining computational and experimental approaches the PI will elucidate the metabolic and transcriptional regulatory networks in two strains of Shewanella (bacteria with environmental and biotechnology applications). The results from this project will be an improved understanding of metabolism and regulation in these bacteria and a collection of computational tools for experimental design and model refinement that can be broadly applied to other sequenced organisms. Undergraduate students will participate in both computational and experimental research activities as part of this project. On-line course materials and pre-conference workshops will be developed related to these research activities to educate undergraduate and graduate students at UW-Madison and other institutions. In addition, workshops and events will be organized for female K-12 and graduate students to learn more about careers in science, engineering and academia.