Evolution, Organization and Dynamics of Genomic Systems

Understanding complex systems, either natural or man-made, commonly faces two major challenges. First, a full characterization of the constituent elements is needed. A second, and generally more demanding, task is to comprehend how these parts work in concert. Our research focuses on this latter issue. We are studying how the integration of many molecular elements, as biochemical circuits or networks, ultimately determines cellular function, and whether, and how, this integration is constrained by the intrinsic structure of the genome. This we do by asking a series of questions: What kind of functional and evolutionary constraints are imprinted in the genome? Conversely, what kind of genomic structural properties foster robust cellular function and evolution? How are protein networks organized? How do cells commit to a particular fate? Is the function of genetic networks optimized? Being these questions multifaceted in nature, we combine several complementary disciplines to address them, such as Systems Biology, Comparative Genomics and Synthetic Biology. Our ultimate goal is to understand the function and evolution of the genomic circuitry and also its potential of reprogramming.