Abstract
The scientific challenge of the 21stcentury: from a reductionist to a holistic approach via systems biology
Highlights
Open AccessThe scientific challenge of the 21st century: from a reductionist to a holistic approach via systems biologyRita Levi-Montalcini and Pietro Calissano*Address: EBRI Foundation and Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine, CNR, Roma, ItalyPublished: 30 October 2006 BMC Neuroscience 2006, 7(Suppl 1):S1 doi:10.1186/1471-2202-7-S1-S1 Problems and tools in the systems biology of the neuronal cell Sergio Nasi, Ivan Arisi, Antonino Cattaneo, Marta Cascante Reviews In the 20th century the study of life was generally approached with a reductionistic approach: analysing the simple and extrapolating to more complex systems
Thanks to this strategy the most important functions of a living organism have been dissected and elucidated: the structure of DNA, the complex machinery subserving the synthesis of proteins, the mechanism for the utilization of food and the generation of energy
In the twenty first century we know that this, as well as many other biological dogmas, are obsolete or are doomed to die. For instance, it is presently a well established notion that one gene may give rise to several proteins and each of these proteins may undergo several post-translational modifications conferring distinct functional activities. These findings, in turn, provide a general clue as to why, the human genome has a number of genes similar to those of a worm such as C. elegans, yet the number and versatilities of proteins and corresponding functions are incomparable in the two organisms
Summary
The scientific challenge of the 21st century: from a reductionist to a holistic approach via systems biology. The modular system approach to investigate the mechanisms involved in apoptotic processes; the compelling need to elucidate how mRNAs and proteins are addressed to their specific sites of action along axons and dendrites up to their final destination at synaptic structures; how these polymeric structures act as multisensor devices of neurotransmission and the way the storage of synaptic activities can be exchanged and integrated to provide memories into a larger scale; and, last but not least, the role played by non coding RNA in brain All these topics are dealt with in the volume with interesting and novel findings and hypothesises. The last article shows how the coming of age of computational systems neurobiology entails the need of automated support to handle formal models and of developing standard and guidelines to maximise the diffusion of its scientific production
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