Dynamics, Plasticity and Evolvability of bacterial small regulatory RNAs

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Small RNAs, the recent addition to the repertoire of genetic regulators, play central roles in key biological processes in bacteria, plants and animals. Quantitative understanding of the regulatory properties of small RNAs, how molecular and cellular processes influence them, and how they can adapt and evolve, is key to understanding the design principles and evolution of regulatory networks. In this project the PI will study how properties of small regulatory RNA and their target mRNAs affect the efficiency, noise features, and evolvability of RNA regulation. Such properties include molecular features of sequence and structure, and functional properties such as translation rate and stability. Quantitative experiments and theoretical studies will be employed synergistically to bridge multiple scales, from the molecular level to cellular functionality and evolutionary dynamics. The results of this study are expected to shed new light on the role played by small RNAs in various pathways and to provide tools that map sequence data into properties of small RNA - target interaction and its evolution. Broader Impact. This project bridges between molecular biophysics and quantitative biology, and exemplifies a true inter-disciplinary approach. It is expected to be of interest to young researchers from a wide range of disciplines, and the PI will provide an opportunity for students to experience this type of research by establishing a discussion group that would follow the project. The PI is developing a new course intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, which will discuss a spectrum of biological systems from a quantitative perspective, and develop the theoretical and practical aspects of modeling complex biological systems. Small RNA regulation will serve as a central theme in this course.