Tracy M. Sonneborn Lecture Series

For more than a century, research on genetic regulation has predominantly focused on genes. In this presentation, I will introduce a whole-genome paradigm of genetic regulation that extends beyond genes to encompass all major genetic constituents within the genome. This novel regulatory framework is mediated by tens of thousands of small non-coding RNAs known as Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and their associated Piwi proteins, a subfamily of the small-RNA binding Argonaute (Ago) protein family discovered by my lab in 1998. PiRNAs typically range from 24 to 32 nucleotides in length and correspond to diverse genomic sequences. Our recent investigations indicate that the Piwi-piRNA pathway orchestrates the expression of protein-coding genes, transposons, pseudogenes, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and governs the functions of centromeres and telomeres at epigenetic and post-transcriptional levels. This holistic regulation across the entire genome is crucial for determining germline fate and sustaining stem cell self-renewal.

Yukiko Yamashita - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
January 28, 2025
3:30 p.m.

 

Nina Salama - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 
February 5, 2025
3:30 p.m.

 

Susan Golden - University of California San Diego
February 19, 2025
3:30 p.m.

 

With precision, thoroughness, and infectious enthusiasm, Tracy Sonneborn also contributed unstintingly to teaching at Indiana University. In spite of the many attempts to entice him away, he remained loyal to IU, finding here the environment he thought was best. To honor his contributions to science and his outstanding career Tracy Sonneborn’s friends and colleagues initiated the Sonneborn Lectureship in 1981.

“Whatever the final outcome of studies of these phenomena, he must take his place among the most brilliant and devoted experimentalists in the history of biology and a true giant, like no other, in the field of protozoan research.” John Preer