"TORC1-4EBP pathway regulates translation of specific mRNAs during C. elegans oogenesis"
Pooja Kumari (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Ciosk Group, BMB)
LIN41 proteins are prominent regulators of cellular plasticity. In the C. elegans germline, LIN-41 controls the oocyte-to-embryo transition and reprogramming into pluripotency via its RNA-binding NHL domain. The LIN-41 NHL domain recognizes a stem-loop RNA element (LRE), whose shape determines the specificity. However, in contrast to the direct RNA-binding mechanism, the specificity of LIN-41 towards germline mRNAs is mediated via sequence specific RNA-binding proteins, OMA-1 and OMA-2. LIN-41 and OMA-1/2 co-immunoprecipitate with proteins from CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex and TORC1-4EBP pathway. By utilizing germline GFP reporters either with LREs or OMA binding sites (OBSs) in their 3’UTR, we found that RNAs specifically with OBSs, but not LREs, are majorly regulated via translational repression through TORC1-4EBP pathway. Our current focus is to understand how LIN-41 and OMA proteins deploy TORC1 to regulate a specific subset of mRNAs.
"Protein trafficking and disease"
Alexandre Gidon (Researcher, Progida Group, FYSCELL)
I’ve very recently started a researcher position at the department. In this seminar, I will introduce myself, talk about my previous experiences at UPMC, Pittsburgh as a postdoctoral associate studying the link between trafficking and signaling of the parathyroid hormone receptor PTHR, at CEMIR/NTNU as a researcher studying innate immunity against mycobacterial infection in human primary macrophages. Finally, I will mention plans for the coming months working on two point mutations potentially affecting the function of the small GTPase Rab7.