CAN A MOLECULAR CLOCK REVEAL WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP?
TITLE:
CAN A MOLECULAR CLOCK REVEAL WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP?
DATE:
Friday, Aug 31th, 2012
TIME:
3:30 PM
LOCATION:
GMCS 214
SPEAKER:
Roberta A. Gottlieb, M.D.
Director.
Donald P. Shiley BioScience Center.
San Diego State University.
ABSTRACT:
Mitochondria are the energy powerhouse of the cell, and provide a continuous
supply of ATP to the beating heart. This energy production system is
composed of thousands of units which can be disposed of when they accumulate
damage through oxidative stress (an occupational hazard). The recycling
process, known as autophagy, involves recognition of damaged mitochondria,
targeting of an engulfment membrane, and degradation in the lysosome.
However, when autophagy is impaired, damaged mitochondria accumulate,
resulting in an accumulation of proteins with characteristic oxidative
modifications that can be identified through proteomics. We have developed
a fluorescent protein targeted to mitochondria (MitoTimer) that functions as
a molecular clock, providing us with new spatial and temporal information
about mitochondrial turnover (degradation and replacement). We are
proposing to use MitoTimer as an index of mitochondrial turnover. Given
that certain diseases like obesity or Parkinson disease can interfere with
mitochondrial turnover, resulting in premature aging and failure of energy
production, we believe that MitoTimer will help us measure the aging process
on the cellular level.
This talk will interest computational scientists because it will relate to
protein databases generated from proteomic analysis, mathematical modeling
of mitochondrial turnover, and image analysis.
HOST:
Dr. Jose Castillo.
DOWNLOAD: