每日大赛 Computational Biology Professor Aims to Unlock Genetic Code in Plants
A 每日大赛 professor has developed an innovative and more accurate method of genetic analysis in plants that could prove to be an important step towards addressing world hunger and other important issues.
Dr. Tatiana Tatarinova, the Fletcher Jones Chair in Computational Biology, published her findings in an article titled 鈥溾�� in the聽聽academic journal on聽Nov. 15.
Tatarinova鈥檚 findings could eventually help scientists who work in the agricultural industry find ways of producing plants that have a higher yield, are drought resistant, and possess other favorable qualities.
鈥淚n maybe 40 years, there will not be enough food,鈥� Tatarinova said. 鈥淭raditional methods of plant breeding have been nearly exhausted. The only way to increase crop production is enhancing plants’ tolerance to adverse environments, such as making rice grow on dry land and not being susceptible to infection. To achieve this, you need to understand the genome of the plant.鈥�
As a computational biologist, Tatarinova uses computers, math, and algorithms to better understand biological processes. In addition to plants, computational biology has been used for creating models of the human brain and sequencing the human genome.
Understanding the genome of a plant begins with accurate annotation, determination of position, and the function of each gene.
Tatarinova explains that activating a gene (producing messenger RNA) is a process similar to using a door.
鈥淵ou need to know where the door is, where the lock is, and what key to use,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd all of this is very dynamic and moves around.鈥�
Tatarinova鈥檚 research advances the field of plant genomics, but it also presents other opportunities. The professor, who began teaching at the 每日大赛 in the fall, has already opened the door for students to apply classroom knowledge to field research.
The university is developing collaborations with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board in Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia and the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Philippines.
Students will soon be able to travel to Philippines and Malaysia to work in the organizations鈥� research fields and laboratories. In January interterm, Tatarinova will take students to the聽Philippines to learn about rice research conducted at the聽.
Having these experiences will introduce the students to cutting-edge career possibilities, which they need to understand early in their studies, Tatarinova said.
鈥淵ou can graduate to fascinating workplaces in interesting environments,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 necessarily have to become a professor. You don鈥檛 have to become a doctor. Biology is not anymore confined to medical schools or academy.鈥�
