A systems biology approach for a comprehensive understanding of development and adaptation in Leishmania donovani

An organism’s behavior or phenotype is the result of complex interactions at the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and/or metabolic level, referred to as a ‘system’. However, the re(gu)lation between these different omic levels is often underexplored despite its relevance for a better understanding of how specific organisms function. In this project, an unprecedented full systems biology approach will be conducted on the parasite Leishmania donovani, which is an interesting model for the study of development and adaptation due to its unusual characteristics at the level of its genome and transcriptome (regulation at the posttranscriptional level). Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics data will be gathered by implementing state-of-the-art technologies using previously validated protocols and under close supervision of experts in the field. In addition, the following will be developed: (i) a relational database or compendium storing all known molecular (‘omic) data for this organism; and (ii) a computational network model that integrates all data obtained from the different ‘omic studies. The biological material that will be used to build this bioinformatics platform has been carefully selected to not only allow robust validation of this integration model, but also to shed more light on the molecular regulation in L. donovani and to stepwise unravel the complexity of the interactions between the different ‘omic levels.