Bioinformatics

Igor Zhulin (Jouline)

Joint Faculty:
- Associate Professor, Microbiology & Genome Science Technology - University of Tennessee
- Senior R&D Staff, Computer Science & Mathematics Division - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Zhulin Lab Homepage
Email: ijouline@utk.edu

Research

Each scientific discipline has its own materials and methods. The genome sequencing technology generates a new type of materials – millions of genes and virtually translated proteins that reside not in living cells, but in electronic databases.

These new materials prompted the development of new methods – computerized tools for analyzing DNA and protein sequences on a large, industrial scale – comprising a new scientific discipline, COMPUTATIONAL GENOMICS.

At the Zhulin lab, we try to understand what new we can learn about biology by using computational genomic approaches. We apply computational analyses to best characterized biological systems in order to reveal novel functional features that cannot be obtained by experimental techniques alone.

In this work, we use an array of bioinformatics tools – from gene finding and similarity searches to phylogenetics and structure prediction – and several tiers of hardware – from workstations and stand-alone servers to Linux clusters and supercomputers sifting through trillions of letters of DNA and protein sequences in search of answers to basic biological questions.

We are interested in fundamental biological processes, such as signal transduction, gene regulation and protein-protein interactions, which we study through the prism of molecular evolution.

Our credo is simple: Nature has already performed millions of genetic experiments; all we need to do is to carefully analyze the results. Most of our studies generate testable hypotheses that are often taken directly into experiment by our colleagues in “wet” laboratories.

Our work leads to better understanding of biological systems and have direct applications to medicine, environment, bioenergy, and agriculture.

News

UT-ORNL Computational Study Finds New Way to Understand Cell Communication

A new computational approach may help scientists better understand the way cells are able to detect and respond to their environment, a process critical to almost all living things. ... A new approach by University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory joint faculty member Igor Jouline (Zhulin) seeks to find that answer. ... Jouline's research, along with a commentary on its importance, currently appears in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It can be found online at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0609359104v1.

(read full article)

Selected Publications

Additional publications are available at the Zhulin lab website.