TITLE:

A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH TO STUDY THE SPECIFICATION OF THE LARVAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN CIONA INTESTINALIS. (No. 110)

DATE:

Friday, February 24th, 2006

TIME:

3:30 PM

LOCATION:

GMCS 214

SPEAKER:

Robert Zeller, Department of Biology, San Diego State University

ABSTRACT:

Our laboratory uses an integrated approach that combines microscopy, genomics, bioinformatics, cell and molecular biology, and classical embryological experimentation to understand how cells are programmed to differentiate during development. The main focus of our research is in deciphering how gene regulatory networks are deployed during development to specify cell fate. In particular, we are interested in understanding how cells of the central (CNS) and peripheral nervous systems (PNS) are instructed to differentiate in the ascidian embryo. Ascidians are marine animals that are closely related to humans. Their embryos develop rapidly, two genomes have been sequenced and our lab has developed important reagents and techniques for studying gene regulation during development.

In this presentation, I will describe our “systems biology” approach towards understanding how regulatory genes instruct cells to differentiate. The talk will focus on how we can combine computational analyses with “wet-bench” experiments to gain insight into how information is encoded within the genome. I will focus on two particular cell types in the embryo pigmented sensory organs of the CNS and ciliated sensory neurons of the PNS. Similar cell types are also found in humans and we have found that these cell types are specified in similar ways in both types of organisms. A variety of human diseases are associated with these cells, and our future research can help to develop diagnostics and therapeutic targets for these diseases.

HOST:

Paul Paolini

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