Dynamics of nuclear condensates - from proteins to mesoscale organization
Event details
| Date | 03.02.2026 |
| Hour | 11:00 › 12:00 |
| Speaker | Claire Weaver, Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract:
Biography:
Claire Weaver is a Ph.D. candidate from the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. Co-mentored by Mike Levine and Cliff Brangwynne, she is interested in phase separation’s contribution to embryogenesis and gene regulation. As an NSF GRFP fellow, she has examined proto-vertebrate repression condensate behavior. She currently studies nucleolar morphology changes with genetic perturbation, microscopy, and convolutional neural networks.
Nuclear bodies form via biomolecular phase separation, mediated through the multivalent properties of biomolecules concentrated within condensates. This process forms distinct compartments that orchestrate transcription, splicing, and ribosome biogenesis, coordinating a cell’s identity and function. How cells manipulate the formation and dynamics of nuclear condensates is poorly understood. In this talk, we will explore 1) how transcriptional repressor condensates can be dissolved through ERK cell signaling, and 2) on a systems level, how convolutional neural networks can use images of nucleolar morphology to predict the nucleolus’ functional state as a centralizing hub of ribosome biogenesis.
Claire Weaver is a Ph.D. candidate from the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. Co-mentored by Mike Levine and Cliff Brangwynne, she is interested in phase separation’s contribution to embryogenesis and gene regulation. As an NSF GRFP fellow, she has examined proto-vertebrate repression condensate behavior. She currently studies nucleolar morphology changes with genetic perturbation, microscopy, and convolutional neural networks.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Bart Deplancke