Robustness in Biological Networks

University Of California-San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Division of Materials Research and the Physics Division contribute funds to this award. This award supports theoretical research at the interface between physics and the biological sciences. The PI will use the tools of statistical physics to investigate biological networks. The research may have impact on our broader understanding of networks more generally. Behind the enormous diversity and complexity of the biological world lie ?universal? principles at and across various scales and levels of organization. These principles help us to simplify and demystify the complexity that is otherwise difficult to comprehend. Functional robustness as a prerequisite of biological systems may place fundamental constraints on the underlying design of the biological networks. The proposed project explores this possibility by using concepts and tools in statistical mechanics and focusing on a set of specific biological systems. The PI will explore whether and how a network?s topology is dictated by the requirement of robustness for a given function, which part of the topology is ?universal? and which part is variable, and whether sense can be made of the design of the biological networks in this context. A significant part of the proposed research is to construct coarse-grained models and to analyze network ensembles. Insights from modeling at proper coarse-grained levels play a unique role in our understanding of the complex biological systems. A deeper understanding about the function-topology relationship in biological circuits may have impact on the emerging field of synthetic biology. The general approach developed here may also be applicable to other network systems, such as ecological and social networks. This research project offers a valuable interdisciplinary educational experience. It will be integrated into the PI?s on-going effort in the curriculum development and training for a new generation of scientists with skills that cross disciplinary boundaries. The project can be naturally divided into small pieces suitable for students of different backgrounds and academic stages. It will involve lab rotation students, under-represented students, as well as international collaboration and student exchange. NONTECHNICAL SUMMARY: The Division of Materials Research and the Physics Division contribute funds to this award. This award supports theoretical research at the interface between physics and the biological sciences. The PI will use the tools of statistical physics to investigate biological networks. Biological systems exhibit the property of robustness ? they are remarkably resistant to particular stress from the environment. The PI aims to gain insight how imposing the property of robustness constrains networks. Is there a fundamental principle that helps us to cut through the complexity of, say, a cellular network and better understand its structure and interconnections? Could the same principle help us to better understand complex networks of entangled large molecules ? polymer systems, or the power grid? This research may have impact on our understanding of networks more generally. This research project offers a valuable interdisciplinary educational experience. It will be integrated into the PI?s on-going effort in the curriculum development and training for a new generation of scientists with skills that cross disciplinary boundaries. The project can be naturally divided into small pieces suitable for students of different backgrounds and academic stages. It will involve lab rotation students, under-represented students, as well as international collaboration and student exchange.