Abstract:
This project aims to construct a computational yeast, Saccharonzyces cerevisiae, model to be used as virtual laboratories to study its phenotypic behaviors under changing environmental, physiological and genetic conditions. The work deals with (i) the for~nulation of metabolic pathways of S. cerevisiae from biologically public databases and from bioche~nistry textbooks, and (ii) the development of an ilz silico yeast model. The databases used are SGD (Saccharomyces Gcnome Database), KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes), and MIPS (Munich Information of Protein Sequences). The pathway formulation includes detailed metabolic pathways of catabolism and anabolism, reaction stoichiometry, gene and enzymes responsible for each reaction, as well as reaction directionality, all of which are systematically managed and organized in an excel spreadsheet. By using flux balance analysis in combination with linear programming (What'sBest! software), I have devclopcd the first version of yeast model that cnablcs us to perform gene deletion studies in yeast on a computer. It was found that the prediction for gene deletion is relatively consistent with the cxpc~.imcntal rcsults (82%). With inore reliable genoinic information obtained from wet lab, the modified model will have a potential to predict the genotype-phenotype relation more accurately.