X-Chromosome Inactivation as a Model for Epigenomic Regulation by Long Noncoding RNAs
Richard M. Furlaud Distinguished Lecture
Event Details
- Type
- Friday Lecture Series
- Speaker(s)
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Jeannie T. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., professor of genetics and pathology, Harvard Medical School, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Speaker bio(s)
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The X-linked region now known as the "X-inactivation center" (Xic) was once dominated by protein-coding genes but, with the rise of Eutherian mammals some 150 to 200 million years ago, became infiltrated by genes that produce long noncoding RNA (ncRNA). Some of the noncoding genes have been shown to play crucial roles during X-chromosome inactivation (XCI), including the targeting of chromatin modifiers to the X chromosome. The rapid establishment of ncRNA hints at a possible preference for long transcripts in some aspects of epigenetic regulation. Dr. Lee will discuss the role of RNA in XCI (pairing, initiation of silencing) and consider advantages RNA offers in delivering allelic, cis-limited and locus-specific control. Unlike proteins and small RNAs, long ncRNAs are tethered to the site of transcription and effectively tag the allele of origin. Furthermore, long ncRNAs are drawn from larger sequence space than proteins and can mark a unique region in a complex genome. Thus, like their small RNA cousins, long ncRNAs may emerge as versatile and powerful regulators of the epigenome.
Dr. Lee received her A.B. degree at Harvard University, where she trained with Nancy Kleckner, and her medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she worked with Robert Nussbaum. She did her clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, served as chief resident in pathology, and then became an HHMI Physician Postdoctoral Fellow with Rudolf Jaenisch at the Whitehead Institute before assuming her present position. Dr. Lee has been a Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar (March of Dimes) and a Pew Scholar. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she is also the recipient of the 2010 Molecular Biology Prize from the National Academy of Sciences. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Genetics Society of America. - Open to
- Public
- Host
- Titia de Lange
- Reception
- Refreshments, 3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m., Abby Lounge
- Contact
- Robert Houghtaling
- Phone
- (212) 327-8072
- Sponsor
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Robert Houghtaling
(212) 327-8072
rhoughtali@rockefeller.edu