Haifan Lin, Ph.D. - Yale School of Medicine
Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology, and Professor of Genetics, of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences, and of Dermatology; Director, Yale Stem Cell Center
“The Piwi-piRNA Pathway: a New Paradigm of Genomic Regulation”
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024
4 p.m.
Rawles Hall 100
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.
Sally Temple - The Neural Stem Cell Institute
April 22, 2025
3:30 p.m.
Friends of the late Tracy M. Sonneborn established a lectureship in his memory in 1981. Support for this lecture has been provided by the Sonneborn Lecture Fund and the Department of Biology.
Aside from a few years at Johns Hopkins University where he received the Ph.D. degree, Tracy Sonneborn spent his entire career at Indiana University. His devotion to the study of Paramecium established him as the world leader in biology and genetics of the Protozoa; indeed it is no exaggeration to say that he founded the modern era of study in these areas.
One of his major contributions was in demonstrating that preexisting structures in cells can repeatedly determine the patterns of new structures through many generations. Although recognized as an important exception to Mendelian inheritance and a critical element in prion diseases, the mechanism of structural inheritance in biology is not yet understood.
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
The College of Arts