Award Detail

Advanced System for Comparative Analysis of Metabolism

Date Awarded: July 2006
Type of Award: Catalyst
Amount Awarded: 135000.00
PI(s): Wen-Hsiung Li, PhD, UChicago; Peter C. Nelson, PhD, UIC;

Abstract: A metabolic process involves a concerted interaction of many cellular components. Understanding complex processes governing metabolism requires a system biology approach and exploration of biological systems at various levels of organization: genomic, metabolic, enzymatic. Here we propose such an approach to studying metabolism to understand metabolic processes and mechanisms of adaptation to environments. Recent progress in genomics, bioinformatics and physiology allows for a systematic exploration of adaptive mechanisms responsible for diversification of biological systems. During evolution, organisms undergo co-adaptive changes such as the complementary changes of protein sequences to accommodate changes in an enzyme’s active site or co-evolution of different steps in metabolic pathways. Therefore, developing a framework for studying evolution of the functional processes and phenotypic variations is essential for interpreting molecular evolution events and for understanding the diversification of metabolism among organisms.
The Goal. To understand metabolism and adaptation of organisms to the environment from a system biology viewpoint and to develop tools for identifying variations in metabolic pathways and enzymes among taxonomic groups of organisms.