Degeng Wang
Degeng Wang
Assistant Professor
Contact
Office: BSF 216
Phone: 813/974-5352
Email:
Education
Ph.D., Medical College of Ohio, 1998
Research
Computational systems biology and genomics:Analysis and Modeling of Cellular Systems through Computational Studies
The genome is commonly termed as "book" of life. The cells act as its "reader". Our research aims to decipher this reading process (Wang, 2005). We focus on two issues. Firstly, how specific biological meanings are encoded in the rather simplistic sequences of A, T, C, and G? Some of the sequences stand for regulatory elements to be recognized by gene expression machinery, which remains out of our theoretical grasp. Secondly, how cellular networks of protein kinase cascades recognize, transmit, and integrate intra- and intercellular signals? This signaling process plays major roles in dynamic specification of gene expression profiles.
Theoretical principles governing these processes are likely embedded in the large amount of omics data generated through high-throughput technologies. We are using cutting-edge computing technologies to uncover them. Additionally, continuing life sciences' historical tradition of utilizing simpler model systems, we are exploring possibilities to borrow theoretical insights from complex systems we engineer and understand well. The cells and the computers are amazingly similar in many aspects (Wang and Gribskov, 2005), as they share the theme of utilizing simplistic sequences for systems stability and functionality.
Ultimately, this will improve our theoretical comprehension of the cells.
Current Courses
Honors and Award
Grants
Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center award for project "Biochemical network Beneath AD Pathogenesis"
Recent Publications
Wang, D. Discrepancy between mRNA and protein abundance: Insight from information retrieval process in computers. (2008) Computational Biology and Chemistry, In Press.
Wang, D. "Molecular gene": interpretation in the right context (2005) Biology and Philosophy, 20, 453-464.
Wang, D. and Michael Gribskov. Examining the architecture of cellular computing through a comparative study with a computer. J.R. Soc. Interface (2005) 2, 187-195.
Wang, D., J.F. Harper and M. Gribskov. Systematic trans-genomic comparison of protein kinases between Arabidopsis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2003) Plant Physiology, 132, 2152-2165.
Tchjieu, J.H et al. The PlantsP and PlantsT functional fenomics databases (2003) Nucleic Acids Res. 32, 342-344.