This event is from the archives of The Notice Board. The event has already taken place and the information contained in this post may no longer be relevant or accurate.
Due to a scheduling conflict, this event will be postponed until later in the summer.
The Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute presents Dr. Shrivani Pirahas from The University of Calgary. Her talk is titled "Role of tRNA and rRNA synthesis in growth control in Drosophila." The ARRTI Speaker Series is open to the public and was established to bring leading researchers to the University of Lethbridge for lectures on a broad range of topics relating to RNA research. All are welcome! Coffee and snacks will be provided.
Abstract:
Deregulated cell growth and proliferation is a key hallmark of cancer. A complex network of oncogene and tumor suppressor signalling pathways modulates cell metabolism to drive tumor growth. We are investigating how growth signalling pathways control translation. The classic view is that oncogenic signalling pathways work by increasing the levels or activity of cytoplasmic translation initiation factors. Here, we examine the unconventional concept that increased tRNA synthesis and rRNA synthesis controls mRNA translation and growth. We use Drosophila as a model system to identify novel regulators of tRNA synthesis-dependent epithelial growth. We found stimulation of RNA polymerase III (Pol III)-mediated tRNA synthesis as a growth effector of Ras/ERK signalling in Drosophila. We found that the transcription factor Myc is required but not sufficient for Ras-mediated stimulation of tRNA synthesis. Instead we show that Ras promotes Pol III function and tRNA synthesis by inhibiting the nuclear localization and function of the Pol III repressor Maf1. We propose that stimulation of tRNA synthesis and rRNA synthesis as an alternate pathway by which Ras signalling enhances protein synthesis to promote cell and tissue growth.
About Dr. Pirahas:
Dr. Shrivani Pirahas received her BSc (Hons) and her PhD from the University of Toronto, with her thesis work characterizing the structural and functional role of a soluble cell adhesion molecule, DdCAD-1, in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. She went on to do post-doctoral training at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center, in the University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, identifying a new therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia. She is now a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Savraj Grewel at the University of Calgary.
Contact:
Emily Wilton | emily.wilton@uleth.ca
