Guest lecture by John Mattick

world-class expert on the role of non-protein-coding RNA

febit cordially invites you to attend a guest lecture by John Mattick, Ph.D. (Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Australia) a world-renowned expert whose focus is the role of non-protein-coding ("junk") RNA.

Organized by the Biomarker Discovery Center Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the lecture is taking place at the DKFZ, Communication Center, Lecture Hall, Heidelberg, Germany on March 12th 2009 at 4 pm.

The lecture by John Mattick promises to give insights about the role of non-coding RNA in human evolution, development and cognition.

There will also be a question and answer session following Dr. Mattick’s presentation.

Date, Time & Location
Thursday, March 12th, 2009, 4:00 pm
Lecture hall (großer Hörsaal), Communication Center DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany

Title
The role of non-coding RNA in human evolution, development and cognition

Abstract:
The haploid human genome contains 3 billion base pairs of DNA sequence information. It programs the development of a precisely sculptured individual of about 100 trillion cells with hundreds of different muscles, bones and organs, as well as the brain. It contains about 20,000 protein-coding genes, surprisingly about the same number and in large part with similar functions as those in simple worms that have only 1,000 cells. This raises the question: where is the genetic information that programs our complexity? The answer appears to lie in the 98% of our genome (the so-called "junk" DNA) which resides within and between our genes, and contains most of the genetic differences between individuals and species. These sequences are not translated into proteins but are copied into RNA in a developmentally regulated manner. Our studies indicate that these non-protein-coding RNAs form a massive hidden network of regulatory information that directs the precise patterns of gene expression during our growth and development. It also appears that RNA is central to brain development, learning and memory, and that humans have evolved sophisticated RNA editing systems to modify hardwired genetic information in response to environmental signals and experience. Thus it seems that the genetic programming of humans and other complex organisms has been fundamentally misunderstood for the past 50 years. Moreover what was dismissed as junk because it was not understood may well hold the key to understanding human complexity and cognition, as well as our individual characteristics and susceptibilities to diseases and disorders.

About John Mattick:
John Mattick received his BSc with Honours from the University of Sydney in 1972, and his Ph.D. from Monash University in 1978. He has since worked at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the CSIRO Division of Molecular Biology in Sydney, and at the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Cologne, Strasbourg and Queensland, where he has been based since 1988. He was the Foundation Director of the Australian Genome Research Facility and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He was awarded the LKB Biotechnology Medal by the Australian Biochemical Society, Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, the Australian Government Centenary Medal, the CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science and the inaugural Gutenberg Chair at the University of Strasbourg. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation.

Selected recent references:

  • Mattick JS (2007) A new paradigm for developmental biology. J Exp Biol 210: 1526-1547
  • Pheasant M and Mattick JS (2007) Raising the estimate of functional human sequences. Genome Res 17: 1245-1253
  • Mercer TR, Dinger ME, Sunkin SM, Mehler MF, Mattick JS (2008) Precise regional expression of non-coding RNAs in mouse brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105: 716-721
  • Amaral PP, Dinger ME, Mercer TR, Mattick JS (2008) The eukaryotic genome as an RNA machine. Science 319: 1787-1789.
  • Mattick JS, Mehler MF (2008) RNA editing, DNA recoding and the evolution of human cognition. Trends Neurosci 31: 227-233.
  • Amaral PP, Mattick JS (2008) Noncoding RNA in development. Mamm Genome 19: 454-492.
  • Mattick JS, Amaral PP, Dinger ME, Mercer TR and Mehler MF (2009) RNA regulation of epigenetic processes. Bioessays 31: 51-59.

 

For details please follow the link below or contact info@bdc-heidelberg.de
www.bdc-heidelberg.de