RCN: Extreme Biophysics - The Molecular Limits of Life

RCN：极限生物物理学 - 生命的分子极限

• 批准号: 1817845
• 负责人: Catherine Royer
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1817845&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RCN; Extreme; Biophysics; Molecular; Limits

Much of life on Earth exists in extreme environments. These environments can be very hot or very cold, they can have very high pressure, they can be extremely acidic or alkaline, and they can contain very harsh chemicals. Cells and the large molecules (e.g. proteins, DNA, membranes) that keep cells alive are highly sensitive to environmental conditions. In the laboratory it can be shown that under extreme conditions these molecules are degraded and their biological functions are abrogated. In contrast, in their natural environments, cells manage to survive and thrive under extreme conditions. It is of interest to understand the mechanisms whereby cells and biological macromolecules adapt to tolerate extreme environments, and how changing physical and chemical environments have affected evolution during billions of years on Earth. This Research Coordination Network (RCN) will bring together scientists from very different fields to examine the limits of life on Earth. Besides fundamental understanding of the rules of life, detailed understanding of how biomolecules and cells have evolved to function in extreme environments will help in the development of novel industrial and biotechnological processes for green chemistry applications, bioremediation and bio-therapeutics. Improved understanding of life in the wide range of extreme conditions compatible with life will also inform the search for life on other planets and provide clues about the origins of life on Earth. This RCN will foster the truly novel cross-disciplinary collaborations that are needed to understand life in extreme environments. It will fund scientific meetings, workshops, and lab exchange programs to foment cross-pollination. The RCN will also contribute towards the development of training programs for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at the interface between the very different disciplines required to achieve convergence in this research area. Much of the Earth's biosphere and biomass are found under extreme conditions of temperature (T), pressure (P), pH and salt (I). It is already well understood that the physical (e.g. structure, stability, interactions, solubility) and functional properties of all biological molecules (e.g. proteins, DNA, membranes) are highly sensitive to conditions of T, P, pH and I. The molecular and cellular mechanisms used for adaptation for life under extreme conditions are poorly understood. This Research Coordination Network on Extreme Biophysics will stimulate the convergence of disciplines (e.g. geochemistry, oceanography, astrophysics, computation, biochemistry, microbiology and geomicrobiology, analytical chemistry, genomics, molecular and cellular biophysics) needed to understand how life evolved for 4 billion years in response to changing conditions on Earth. Genomes from a large number of extremophilic organisms are now available, providing a useful starting point for a systematic study of molecular evolution of organisms in different environments. The moment is ripe for the development of the field of extreme biophysics. The central goal of this RCN is to regularly gather scientists with vastly different backgrounds to examine systematically the biophysical and biochemical basis for life under extreme conditions. Meetings, workshops and lab visits will be the vehicle for exchange and collaboration. The outcomes of the RCN include (1) identification of critical questions in extreme molecular and cellular biophysics, (2) identification of the promising research areas and systems useful for study, (3) progress with technological and conceptual road-blocks, (4) cross-disciplinary collaborative efforts to attract funding for research in this area, (5) pathways for training of young scientists to prepare them for a truly this multidisciplinary approach to study life on Earth and beyond. This RCN is jointly funded by the Molecular Biophysics Cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and the Physics of Living Systems Program in the Division of Physics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

地球上的许多生命都存在于极端环境中。这些环境可能非常热或非常寒冷，它们的压力很高，它们可能是极酸性的或碱性的，并且可以含有非常苛刻的化学物质。细胞和大分子（例如蛋白质，DNA，膜）使细胞活着的生命非常敏感。在实验室中可以证明，在极端条件下，这些分子被降解并废除了它们的生物学功能。相反，在自然环境中，细胞在极端条件下设法生存和繁衍。有趣的是，了解细胞和生物学大分子适应极端环境的机制，以及在地球数十亿年内的物理和化学环境变化如何影响进化。该研究协调网络（RCN）将将来自不同领域的科学家聚集在一起，以检查地球上生命的局限性。除了对生命规则的基本理解外，对生物分子和细胞如何在极端环境中发挥作用的详细理解将有助于开发用于绿色化学应用，生物修复和生物治疗学的新型工业和生物技术过程。在与生活兼容的广泛的极端条件下，人们对生活的了解也将为其他行星上的生活提供信息，并提供有关地球生命起源的线索。这种RCN将促进真正新颖的跨学科合作，以了解极端环境中的生活。它将资助科学会议，研讨会和实验室交换计划，以引起交叉授粉。 RCN还将为在本研究领域的界面之间的界面上为本科和研究生和博士后研究员的培训计划做出贡献。地球的大部分生物圈和生物量都在温度（T），压力（P），pH和盐（I）的极端条件下发现。已经充分理解的是，所有生物分子（例如蛋白质，DNA，膜）的物理（例如结构，稳定性，相互作用，溶解度）和功能特性对T，P，P，PH和I的条件高度敏感。这种极端生物物理学的研究协调网络将刺激学科的融合（例如地球化学，海洋学，天体物理学，计算，生物化学，微生物学和地球生物学，分析化学，基因组学，基因组学，分子和细胞生物物理学），需要了解生活在4账单上的响应范围，以适应4账单上的响应，这是对响应的响应。现在可以使用来自大量极端生物的基因组，为对不同环境中生物的分子进化的系统研究提供了有用的起点。这个时刻已经成熟，可以发展出极端生物物理学领域。该RCN的核心目标是定期收集具有截然不同的背景的科学家，以系统地检查在极端条件下生命的生物物理和生化基础。会议，研讨会和实验室访问将是交换与协作的工具。 RCN的结果包括（1）在极端分子和细胞生物物理学中识别关键问题，（2）确定有前途的研究领域和有用的研究领域和系统，（3）在技术和概念性的路障中的进步，（4）跨学科的跨学科协作努力，以吸引对这一领域的研究，以培训年轻科学的研究，以培训年轻的科学训练，以培训他们的生活，以培训他们的一项远面的培训，以培训这些培训，这是一项繁多的综合训练。 该RCN由分子和细胞生物科学的划分分子生物物理学簇共同资助，以及物理学部中的生物系统计划。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被视为值得通过基金会的知识绩效和更广泛影响的评估来通过评估来获得支持的审查审查标准。

项目成果

The Molecular Basis for Life in Extreme Environments

• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-100120-072804
• 发表时间: 2021-01-01
• 期刊: ANNUAL REVIEW OF BIOPHYSICS, VOL 50, 2021
• 作者: Ando, Nozomi;Barquera, Blanca;Watkins, Maxwell B.
• 通讯作者: Watkins, Maxwell B.