Computational modelling of genetic processes

计算机科学和遗传学之间有许多相似之处。两者的结构都以长序列的形式存储信息，有时以0和1的形式存储，也可能以DNA的形式存储。在这两个领域，我们通过不同的介质，如电子电路或蛋白质，对这些序列进行操作。我们现在有越来越多的遗传信息可供我们使用。考虑到一个人的基因组长度超过30亿个核苷酸。我们必须在大量的数据中找到有趣的模式，以便了解甚至一个细胞的内部工作原理。计算机科学基于其与生物结构的相似性以及快速处理大量信息的能力，允许以一种自然的方式来研究这些模式。通过在这两个领域之间建立新的联系，我们可以使用计算机科学的方法来研究生物学中的类似过程。此外，我们可以通过生物学的幌子发现新的计算方法。例如，刺毛纤毛虫，一组单细胞生物，对其DNA进行解码过程，以产生能够产生蛋白质的基因。在计算机科学中，字符串的解扰是一种被充分研究和理解的机制。通过用计算术语模拟这一过程，我们可以创建研究纤毛虫基因组数据的算法。此外，我们可以尝试理解细胞中用于解码的确切方式和机制。同时，这也为我们提供了一种在自然界中发现的新的计算模型。我的短期目标包括理解纤毛虫的基因组结构，以及框架转移的过程，这是一种蛋白质翻译的扭曲，允许从一个基因产生多种蛋白质。我的长期目标是利用计算分析对各种生物过程进行深入的科学理解。

There are many parallels between computer science and genetics.  The structures in both store information as lengthy sequences, sometimes in the form of zeros and ones or perhaps as DNA.  In both fields, we perform operations on those sequences through different mediums, such as electronic circuitry or proteins.  We now have an ever increasing wealth of genetic information at our disposal.  Consider that the genome of a single human being is over three billion nucleotides in length.  It is essential that we find interesting patterns amongst the plethora of data in order to understand the inner-workings of even a cell.  Computer science allows for a natural way to study these patterns, based on its similarity to biological structures and its ability to process massive amounts of information quickly.  By establishing new connections between the two fields, we can then use methods from computer science towards the study of analgous processes in biology.  Furthermore, we could uncover new methods of computation through the guise of biology.  For example, stichotrichous ciliates, a group of single-celled organisms, perform a descrambling process on their DNA to create genes capable of generating proteins.  Descrambling of strings is a mechanism well studied and understood in computer science.  By modelling this process in computational terms, we can create algorithms for studying ciliate genome data.  Moreover, we can attempt to comprehend the exact manner and machinery used for descrambling in a cell.  In parallel, this provides us with a new model of computation found in nature. My short term goals include the comprehension of the genome gymnastics of ciliates as well as the process of frameshifting, a twist on protein translation that allows for multiple proteins to be produced from a single gene. My long term goal is to use computational analysis to converge towards a deep scientific understanding of various biological processes.