Crypto Systems in Ciliates

该奖项支持数学科学项目跨学科资助下的研究和课程活动。这位首席研究员计划在2006年访问他的家乡博伊西州立大学的生物系，为期11个月。访问的目的是建立一个独立的研究项目，专注于细胞生物学中可编程的分子重排现象，与生物学家开展富有成效的合作，并开发一个跨学科的生物分子计算硕士学位课程。研究的主要模式将是次毛纤毛虫由微核发育成大核。在这类纤毛虫的生命周期中，大核中的基因是积极表达的，而微核则是转录沉默的。微核以加密的形式含有大核的基因，这种纤毛虫受精后，旧的大核退化，通过一种不寻常的解密过程产生新的大核，解密微核。研究者将与Munger博士，Oxford和Smith博士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数学特性，（ii）这些加密技术在多大程度上可以被操纵来解决计算数学问题并执行加密或解密，以及（iii）两个不同的亚富物种的加密技术在多大程度上是兼容的。后者可能会对不同欠营养物种之间的进化关系提供一些启示。研究者和他在生物系的合作者将设计并执行一些实验室实验，以测试将建立的数学模型，以模拟次色纤毛虫的这些双核现象。同时，将为跨学科课程编写确定的课程材料和经验。这包括讲座和学习材料、辅助实验室实验和辅助计算资源。该IGMS项目由MPS多学科活动办公室（OMA）和数学科学司（DMS）联合支持。

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).