| Description | Molecular Engineering and Sciences Seminar Series
New tools for mapping and manipulating chromatin-regulatory RNAs (and their protein partners)
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells enclose meters of genomic DNA within nuclei that are only microns wide, giving rise to a host of subnuclear structures that regulate core genomic functions, and which are broadly disrupted in human diseases. Nuclear architecture is unique in that it must be rebuilt de novo with each cell division. Yet, the mechanisms by which cells orchestrate this assembly—and by which subnuclear structures control genome function—remain poorly understood. Recent evidence suggests that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) may play central regulatory roles in these processes, but detailed mechanistic dissection of these RNAs has proven challenging. The Shechner lab aims to overcome this hurdle, by developing new technologies for biochemically dissecting noncoding RNAs, for identifying the protein complexes with which they interact, and for interrogating their regulatory influence on chromatin. Here, I will present an overview of our recently developed experimental toolkit (CRISPR-Display, CLING, and IISAAC), and will discuss potential projects that use this toolkit to interrogate the assembly of subnuclear structures, and the RNA-protein interactions that drive assembly. Addressing this knowledge gap will yield basic insights into the core mechanisms that couple genome structure and function in all eukaryotes, and will reveal novel molecules, interactions, and pathways that can be targeted therapeutically. Biography
David M. Shechner, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Washington. Dr. Shechner obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from MIT, where he studied the structure and function of artificial ribozymes in the laboratory of David Bartel. As a postdoctoral fellow in John Rinn’s laboratory at Harvard, Dr. Shechner developed new technologies for interrogating and manipulating mammalian noncoding RNAs, and for visualizing chromatin dynamics in live cells. At UW, his lab utilizes and expands upon these technologies to examine the interplay between nuclear architecture and the noncoding transcriptome, and how these interactions are rewired during development and dysregulated in disease. He is a former HHMI fellow of the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund. This weekly seminar brings together students, faculty and invited guests from various disciplines across campus to explore current trends in molecular engineering and nanotechnology. It is a forum for active interdisciplinary discussions. These talks are open to the public and attract a diverse audience of students and faculty. |
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