Science Made Simple: What is Systems Biology?

Microbes, vegetation, animals, and full ecosystems all play particular person roles within the pure world, which is a posh system of interlocking components. Systems biology approaches the research of dwelling organisms holistically. It investigates how numerous dwelling organisms work together at numerous scales. Every human being, for instance, is a system. Our organs, tissues, cells, and the molecules they’re manufactured from, in addition to micro organism and different organisms that dwell on our pores and skin and in our digestive system, are all a part of the system.

Systems biology research these components and the way they work collectively. Scientists can scale a programs biology method up and down relying on the scale of the system they’re finding out. For instance, human organs can act as their very own programs, made up of cells, proteins, and amino acids.

Systems biology relies on computational and mathematical analysis and modeling. It draws its data from a huge range of biological sciences and technologies that researchers often call “-omics.” Some of these “omics” include genomics (the study of complete sets of genes in an organism) and proteomics (the study of all the proteins in a cell, tissue, or organism). These disciplines share an emphasis on characterizing and quantifying the biological molecules behind how organisms are built, function, and live.

Systems biology has many potential applications. One major application is bioenergy research. Scientists are working to understand plants that could be used for biofuel, including how they grow, the microbes that break them down, and how these components work together. This approach helps scientists improve the system behind biofuels to make more efficient, cost effective, and renewable fuels. Systems biology is also critical to understanding the cycling of carbon. Much of the world’s carbon dioxide is stored in ecosystems such as forests and tundra. Scientists are studying the complex interactions between the soils and plants that capture carbon dioxide as well as the microbes that break down organic material and release its carbon as carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Fast Facts

• Systems biology studies of the genomes of soil-dwelling microbes discovered that they are also infected by thousands of different viruses that affect how they modify carbon-rich organic material.
• Comparing the decoded genomes of different plants helps us understand how plants sequester carbon dioxide and store carbon in cellulose and other polymers that constitute the plant body.
• Baker’s yeasts are used to make ethanol not only for beer but also as a biofuel. Understanding their systems biology allows scientists to engineer new yeast strains that can one day produce a replacement for gasoline.

Department of Energy Office of Science Contributions to Systems Biology

The Department of Energy Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program funds a broad range of research that rests on a systems biology perspective. One major effort is DOE’s Genomic Science program, which applies systems biology to problems involving energy and the environment.

Starting with the genetic information encoded in organisms’ genomes, BER research seeks to discover the principles that guide the translation of the genetic code. Researchers also study the metabolic and regulatory networks underlying the physiology of plants and microbes as they respond to and modify their environments. This understanding will help researchers design microbes and plants that contribute to energy independence and clean energy. For example, systems biology could lead to better biofuels and bioproducts, improved carbon storage, and new control over nutrients and contaminants in the environment.