"Research Initiation Award" - The Genetic Code of Protein Molecules

研究启动奖（RIAs）为传统黑人学院和大学（HBCUs）中开始建立研究项目的初级教师提供支持，也为需要重新指导和重建研究项目的职业中期教师提供支持。期望该奖项有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善研究人员所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。阿肯色大学派恩布拉夫分校（UAPB）的HBCU-UP RIA项目更新了标准遗传密码中20种遗传编码氨基酸的生物合成的科学知识。该项目的主要目标是：(1)探索目前关于遗传密码的20种标准氨基酸由早期和晚期氨基酸混合组成的断言；(2)分析活生物体的代谢途径，以便为古代分子进化提供清晰的信息；(3)指导本科生进行生物研究，并支持生物科学的保留。这个名为“蛋白质分子的遗传密码”的项目的假设是，氨基酸生物合成的代谢途径网络包含可信的分子化石。该研究调查并确定是否存在任何证据将氨基酸代谢途径与早期和晚期氨基酸的说法联系起来，以及在活生物体中发现的代谢途径是否是古代进化事件的准确指南。调查使用以下程序：-鉴定与氨基酸生物合成的每个步骤相关的酶，-鉴定这些酶中哪些发生在所有三个生命域中；-确认在生命的一个或多个领域中缺少哪些酶；-代谢途径每个步骤的还原/简化序列数据集，并为氨基酸生物合成途径每个步骤的酶构建系统发育；-鉴定和消除横向基因转移的例子。将使用来自KEGG、MetaCyc、EcoCyc、REACTOME、Molecular Ancestry Network （MANET）和Pathway Localization （PathLoc）数据库的当代数据。该项目有助于植物和害虫的疾病相关研究。UAPB是一个刺激竞争性研究的实验项目（EPSCoR）机构。因此，该项目将在该机构（一个为少数民族服务的机构）和国家内部建立计算生物科学的研究能力和能力。此外，该项目有助于增加国家多样化的科学劳动力。

Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support for junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who need to re-direct and re-build a research program. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the researcher's home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences.The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UAPB)'s HBCU-UP RIA project updates scientific knowledge on the biosynthesis of the 20 genetically encoded amino acids of the standard genetic code. The project's major objectives are to: (1) explore the current assertion that the 20 standard amino acids of the genetic code comprise a mixture of early versus late amino acids, (2) analyze the metabolic pathways at work in living organisms so as to provide clear information into ancient molecular evolution and (3) to mentor undergraduate students in biological research and support retention in the biological sciences.The hypothesis of this project entitled "The Genetic Code of Protein Molecules" is that, the network of metabolic pathways for amino acid biosynthesis contains plausible molecular fossils. The research investigates and determines whether any evidence exists that connects pathways of amino acid metabolism to claims for early versus late amino acids and also whether metabolic pathways found in living organisms are an accurate guide to ancient evolutionary events. The investigation uses the following procedures:-identification of the enzymes associated with each step of amino acid biosynthesis,-identification of which of these enzymes occur within all three domains of life; -verification of which enzymes are missing from one or more domains of life; -reduction/simplification sequence data sets for each step of a metabolic pathway and building phylogenies for the enzymes of each step of an amino acid biosynthetic pathway; -identification and elimination of examples of lateral gene transfer.Contemporary data from databases such as KEGG, MetaCyc, EcoCyc, REACTOME, Molecular Ancestry Network (MANET), and Pathway Localization (PathLoc) databases will be used. The project contributes to disease-related research in plants and pests. UAPB is an Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) institution. Thus, the project will build research capacity and capability at this institution (a minority-serving institution) and within the state in computational biological sciences. In addition, the project contributes to increasing a diverse scientific workforce for the nation.