Decoding Transcriptional Regulation
Event details
| Date | 08.06.2015 |
| Hour | 12:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Alexander Stark, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology - IMP, Vienna (AT) |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IN BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
Abstract:
In higher eukaryotes, genes are expressed dynamically in complex spatial and temporal patterns, which are progressively refined to set up body plans and define specific cell-types. I am presenting our work towards understanding transcriptional regulation in Drosophila by an interdisciplinary approach. We functionally characterize regulatory sequences by enhancer screens and by determining tissue-specific regulator binding. Computational motif analyses coupled to supervised machine-learning methods are powerful tools that allow us to determine motifs that are shared in functionally related sequences and are promising candidates to explain regulatory function. We also study how enhancers activate different types of promoters and how enhancer – core-promoter specificity is encoded in the two elements’ sequences. We finally dissect the combinatorics of transcription factors and transcriptional cofactors at enhancers by directed tethering in enhancer complementation assays, which revealed functionally distinct classes of transcription factors and cofactors.
Bio:
Education:
2004 PhD in Bioinformatics, EMBL Heidelberg & University of Cologne, Germany
2000 M.Sc in Biochemistry (German Diplom), University of Tübingen, Germany
Positions:
2008 - Group-leader, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
2005 - 2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, Kellis & Lander Groups, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and CSAIL MIT, Cambridge, USA
2001 - 2005 PhD Student & Postdoc, Russell Group, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
Thesis: "Functional Sites in Structure and Sequence - Protein Active Sites and microRNA Target Recognition"
2000 - 2001 Diploma Student & Research Assistant, Schuster Group, Friedrich-Miescher-Laboratory, Tübingen, Germany
Thesis: "The Novel GTP-binding Protein dNOG is involved in the Synaptic Plasticity of Drosophila Neuromuscular Junctions"
Abstract:
In higher eukaryotes, genes are expressed dynamically in complex spatial and temporal patterns, which are progressively refined to set up body plans and define specific cell-types. I am presenting our work towards understanding transcriptional regulation in Drosophila by an interdisciplinary approach. We functionally characterize regulatory sequences by enhancer screens and by determining tissue-specific regulator binding. Computational motif analyses coupled to supervised machine-learning methods are powerful tools that allow us to determine motifs that are shared in functionally related sequences and are promising candidates to explain regulatory function. We also study how enhancers activate different types of promoters and how enhancer – core-promoter specificity is encoded in the two elements’ sequences. We finally dissect the combinatorics of transcription factors and transcriptional cofactors at enhancers by directed tethering in enhancer complementation assays, which revealed functionally distinct classes of transcription factors and cofactors.
Bio:
Education:
2004 PhD in Bioinformatics, EMBL Heidelberg & University of Cologne, Germany
2000 M.Sc in Biochemistry (German Diplom), University of Tübingen, Germany
Positions:
2008 - Group-leader, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
2005 - 2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, Kellis & Lander Groups, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and CSAIL MIT, Cambridge, USA
2001 - 2005 PhD Student & Postdoc, Russell Group, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
Thesis: "Functional Sites in Structure and Sequence - Protein Active Sites and microRNA Target Recognition"
2000 - 2001 Diploma Student & Research Assistant, Schuster Group, Friedrich-Miescher-Laboratory, Tübingen, Germany
Thesis: "The Novel GTP-binding Protein dNOG is involved in the Synaptic Plasticity of Drosophila Neuromuscular Junctions"
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free