Biological Interactions and Dynamics Science Theme provides understanding the protein composition of cells or membranes as well as the activities and structures of individual proteins or protein complexes.

Understanding and optimizing the response or performance of biological systems to the interaction with its environment can have a significant impact on achieving viable solutions to several problems of national concern. For example, anaerobic microbial metabolism is of direct relevance to national missions in environmental cleanup and site stewardship, clean and secure energy, and basic science. Thus, molecular-level measurements and the corresponding insight into biochemical processes could lead to new predictive computational models that provide an improved basis for using microbes effectively and safely to mitigate the impacts of energy-production activities on the environment and human health.

Recent advances in whole-genome sequencing for a variety of organisms and improvements in high-throughput instrumentation have contributed to a rapid transition of the biological research paradigm towards understanding biology at a systems level. As a result, biology is evolving from a descriptive to a quantitative, ultimately predictive science where the ability to collect and productively use large amounts of biological data is crucial. Understanding how the ensemble of proteins in cells gives rise to biological outcomes is fundamental to systems biology. These advances will require new technologies and approaches to measure and track the temporal and spatial disposition of proteins in cells and how protein complexes give rise to specific activities.

To help facilitate the transition of biology to a more quantitative science, the EMSL will develop capabilities, and encourage user proposals, with a focus on key topical areas:

Understanding the protein and metabolite composition of cells as well as the activities and structures of individual proteins or protein complexes.

The dynamics of protein composition or localization, and their assembly into multiprotein complexes.

Investigating properties of biological membranes and the interaction of cells with their environment.

The expanded understanding of the structure, function, and dynamics of multi-protein complexes will provide information needed for optimizing the response of biological systems (e.g., microbes) in particular environments such as those associated with fuel production or contaminant metabolism. Metabolite profiling will improve our understanding of how cells respond to changes in their environment or energy state. These efforts will require extending current capabilities in high-throughput mass spectrometry and NMR. Enhanced capabilities to examine microbial membranes and interfacial interactions will require the development of new techniques, such as cryo-TEM, and multimodal and multispectral microscopy. These techniques generate large amounts of data that will be handled by an integrated data management system.

Vasil Sidorov on September 12, 2009 E-mail: sidorovvasil@gmail.com

From PNNL`s Reports