Event Detail (Archived)

Reading the Human Genome

  • This event already took place in May 2012
  • Caspary Auditorium

Event Details

Type
Friday Lecture Series
Speaker(s)
Sydney Brenner, D.Phil., senior distinguished fellow, Crick-Jacobs Center Brenner Laboratory, Salk Institute
Speaker bio(s)

Dr. Brenner’s talk will attend to a number of general problems of all genomes that need to be solved before scientists can attempt to interpret the human DNA sequence. Using a new approach, he will show how to find whether a genome has reached final mutational equilibrium or is in dynamic transit between two states. Many, but not all, prokaryotic genomes have reached this state and therefore contain no information from the past. Still, their genes contain information (or "messages") for proteins but scientists cannot tell when they reached this point. All mammalian genomes, including the human genome, and some other vertebrate genomes are very far from equilibrium. This is the source of the great variation in nucleotide composition of different parts of the genome as reflected in the isochore structure. There is a simple natural explanation for these enigmatic properties that is central for understanding the evolution of the human genome.

Open to
Public
Reception
Refreshments, 3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m., Abby Lounge
Contact
Robert Houghtaling
Phone
(212) 327-8072
Sponsor
Robert Houghtaling
(212) 327-8072
rhoughtali@rockefeller.edu