Biocomplexity: From Gene Expression to Morphology and Multicellular Organization in Dictyostelium

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project details an integrated, multiscale and multidisciplinary approach towards characterizing and understanding the development of Dictyostelium discoideum, from gene expression to morphology and multicellular organization. The basic underlying premise is that the time is ripe for the concerted application of quantitative methods, both experimental and theoretical, to a central problem of modern biology, namely how one can form an integrated picture of an organism that connects genetic information to behavioral response. For a variety of reasons, Dictyostelium is the logical system in which to tackle this challenge. The research project has three components: First, DNA microarray techniques combined with the knowledge of hundreds of well-characterized mutants will be used to acquire a large body of gene expression data relevant to Dictyostelium development. Second, a new generation of experiments, focusing on the cell response to external signals that coordinate multicellular development, will be devised and carried out. Finally, computational simulations will be used to tie together the different pieces, e.g., genetic networks with protein networks, protein networks with cellular response, and cellular response with multi-cellular morphogenesis. To accomplish these tasks, a high quality, interdisciplinary team of scientists has been assembled at the interface of biology, physics, and computation.