학술/공연/행사

• 일시 : 2014.07.03

생명공학연구소 4차 세미나 안내

생명공학연구소에서는 다음과 같이 세미나를 개최하고자 하오니
교수님 및 학생 여러분들의 많은 참석 바랍니다.

 
◈ 주 제 : Role of miR-34a microRNA maintaining the silencing of Transposable Element during Somatic Reprogramming
◈ 연 사 : 최용진 박사
◈ 소 속 : Department of Comparative Biochemistry University of California at Berkeley
◈ 일 시 : 2014년 7월 3일(목) 오후 2시
◈ 장 소 : 영남대학교 미생물생명과학 3층 YB룸 


Nearly half of the mammalian genome consists of transposable elements (TEs). Most TEs are transcriptionally inactive, but a small number of intact loci are expressed during normal development. One striking example is the class III endogenous retrovirus MERVL, a murine-specific family of TEs that is globally derepressed during a narrow window of embryogenesis peaking at the 2-cell (2C) stage. Although MERVL is silenced in the blastocyst, it was recently shown that MERVL is highly expressed in a rare transient population of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) possessing 2C-like fate potential, capable of generating both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues.1 MERVL derepression is correlated with upregulation of approximately 300 host genes whose transcription initiates from within MERVL LTRs, including genes implicated in totipotency and specification of extraembryonic lineages. Together, these findings may be indicative of a scheme in which 2C-specific “chimeric” genes are coordinately regulated through their MERVL promoters. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the tight temporal control of MERVL, and the developmental roles of these chimeric genes remain unclear. In preliminary studies, we have found that the depletion of a single microRNA (miRNA) miR-34a causes the specific derepression of MERVL and its chimeric genes in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). miR-34a-/- ESCs display enhanced fate potential reminiscent of 2C blastomeres, contributing to both embryonic and extraembryonic derivatives in ex vivo reconstituted blastocysts, and expressing higher levels of extraembryonic lineage marker genes upon embryoid body (EB) differentiation. Given these observations, I propose to investigate the role of MERVL elements in preimplantation cell fate decisions, and to determine the molecular basis underlying regulation of MERVL by miR-34a. This study will provide insight into a novel regulatory regime for miRNA and TEs during mammalian development, and shed light on the domestication of TEs into host gene regulatory networks.


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