Theories of fluctuation and regulation of eukaryotic gene switches

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24244068
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biophysics/Chemical physics
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: SASAI Masaki 名古屋大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (30178628)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TERADA Tomoki 名古屋大学, 大学院工学研究科, 准教授 (20420367) ; CHIKENJI George 名古屋大学, 大学院工学研究科, 助教 (10420366)
• Research Collaborator: WANG Jin New York州立大
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ゲノム分子動力学 / 遺伝子スイッチの非断熱揺らぎ / 遺伝子制御ネットワーク理論 / クロマチン構造

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Principles of eukaryotic gene expression were studied theoretically by developing statistical mechanical and computational models of gene expression. By using a statistical mechanical model, stochastic behavior of genes was analyzed with the "eddy" current representation of probability flow, and importance of multiple stages of non-adiabatic fluctuations, i.e., super-non-adiabatic fluctuations, was shown. Methods of genome-scale simulation of chromosome structure and movement (genome-MD) were developed and applied to budding yeast and human nuclei. Genome-MD revealed correlatin between spatial distribution and transcriptional activity of genes in budding yeast nucleus. Fluctuations and transitions in expression dynamics of embryonic stem cells were examined theoretically and effects of super-non-adiabatic fluctuations were analyzed.

Free Research Field

理論生物物理学