A systems biology approach to the understanding of antibiotic production in the model organism Streptomyces coelicolor

Systems Biology aims at understanding and predicting the properties of a biological system under targeted perturbations (e.g. genetic changes or changes in the external environment) with the use of integrated data analyses and mathematical modelling. It requires a multidisciplinary approach including cell cultivation, molecular biology, bioinformatics, statistical analyses and mathematical modelling. Systems Biology is expected to have strong influence and impact on future biotechnological research, rang ing from industrial biotechnology to molecular medicine. Our goal is to get insight into the molecular mechanisms behind antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor by a Systems Biology approach. We aim at understanding pathway networking in this c omplex oligotroph organism where there are clear links between primary and secondary metabolism. Key factors in the regulation of secondary metabolites will be studied at omics level (genomics,transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and fluxomics) comb ined with computational and mathematical modelling. To reach our goal we will combine our efforts in this strategic project with an ERA-net SysMO-project having 14 international partners with competence in molecular biology, experimental and theoretical a nalyses. The project is strategically important for both SINTEF and our cooperation partners at the University of Trondheim (NTNU), and the focus on antibiotics is relevant for Norwegian biotechnology industry.