| 25/9 |
Speaker: Prof. James D. Shull
McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1599 USA |
Title: Comparative Genetics- and Genomics-Based Approaches toward Identification of Novel Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes
Abstract: Data from numerous population-based, clinical and laboratory studies indicate that estrogens contribute significantly to the development of breast cancer. It is also clear that breast cancer risk is determined by the actions of numerous genes, only a few of which have been identified. The ACI rat model of 17?-estradiol (E2)-induced mammary cancer serves as a valuable, physiologically relevant, tool for identification of genes that impact susceptibility to breast cancer. We were first to demonstrate the unique, genetically-conferred, susceptibility of female ACI rats to E2-induced mammary cancer. Reciprocal intercrosses between the highly susceptible ACI strain and the resistant Copenhagen (COP) or Brown Norway (BN) strains revealed 9 quantitative trait loci (QTL) that significantly impact susceptibility to E2-induced mammary cancer. The actions of these Emca loci on mammary cancer susceptibility have now been confirmed through development and characterization of a panel of congenic rat strains, each of which harbors alleles at a single Emca locus from the resistant COP or BN rat strain on the ACI genetic background. The focus of this presentation will be on Emca4 and Emca8, which have been mapped to rat chromosomes 7 and 5, respectively. The regions of the human genome that are orthologous to Emca4 and Emca8 harbor SNPs that have recently been strongly and reproducibly associated with breast cancer risk in multi-stage genome-wide studies, suggesting that the human and rat species share genetic determinants of breast/mammary cancer susceptibility. The different genetics- and genomics-based approaches being utilized to fine map and identify the causative genetic variants underlying the actions of Emca4 and Emca8 on cancer susceptibility will be summarized. |
| 12/10 |
| Speaker: Jane Synnergren |
Jane kommar att berätta om sina erfarenheter från en kurs i våras på EMBL i Heidelberg. Kursen gavs i samarbete med Affymetrix och där de presenterade en nyare generation av microarrayer och vilka fördelar de har jämfört med standardarrayer, vilka nu använts under en ganska lång tid.
På kursen presenterades också resultat av den sk MAQC-studien, en omfattande kvalitetstudie av olika microarrayer. |
| 26/10 |
| Speaker: Jasmine Lööf |
Title: The role of p73 in colorectal cancer.
Abstract: Colorectal cancer is a common cancer type with about one million new cases worldwide every year. There are considerable regional differences; the incidence is at least 25 times higher in the western countries compared to developing countries. The overall mortality is approximately 50%. In Sweden colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer form in both men and women, with more than 5000 new cases each year. The p73 protein is one of two p53 homologues. p73 can activate the transcription of p53-responsive genes, thereby inhibiting cell growth. Despite the similarities between p73 and p53, p73 does not seem to be a classical tumour suppressor. p73 is rarely mutated in tumours, and p73-deficient mice do not develop spontaneous tumours. Further, p73 is overexpressed in various tumour types, suggesting that p73 has oncogenic properties. A high expression of p73 protein has been found to be related to worse survival. p73 is expressed as different isoforms. The full length isoform, TAp73, contains an intact transactivation domain, and exerts transcriptional activity. An alternative promotor gives rise to an N-terminally truncated form, ΔNp73, which has DNA-binding ability but lacks transactivation functions. ΔNp73 can inhibit the functions of TAp73 and p53 by oligomerisation or by binding to p53/p73-responsive elements, displacing TAp73 and p53 from the DNA-binding site. ΔNp73 expression is upregulated by TAp73 and p53 through a p53/p73 responsive element in the ΔNp73 promotor region, creating a negative feedback loop that regulates the function of TAp73 and p53. Because of its anti-apoptotic properties, ΔNp73 is suggested to account for the oncogenic potential of p73. |
| 9/11 - 10/11 |
| Systems Biology conference in Portalen, Skövde |
| 7/12 |
| GSP is invited and will give a talk about "From idea to business" |
Vårterminen 2009
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19/1 |
Diskussionsledare: Mikael Ejdebäck and Andreas Jansson
Under seminariediskussionen diskuterar vi följande: • Sett i backspegeln, hur har miljön fungerat och hur vill vi att den ska fungera i framtiden
• Vilka gemensamma projekt och ansökningar finns och planeras
• Vilka gemensamma aktivitetet finns och planeras |
| 16/2 |
| Speaker: Kristina Sundell, Professor i Zoologi, Göteborgs universitet |
| Title: Ussing chambers - the ultimate tool to study epithelial physiology!? |
| 2/3 |
| Speaker: Heidi Paltto |
Title: Conservation Ecology in Oak-rich Forests
Abstract: I will talk about the local biodiversity in oak-rich forests and how this is affected by forest succession, partial cutting and the amount of deciduous forest in the surrounding landscape at various spatio-temporal scales. I will also talk about indicator species and how well they work in oak-rich forests. My talk will be on my PhD-studies in Gothenburg, a minor project thereafter, and my current work here at HiS. |
| 16/3 |
Diskussionsledare: Mikael Ejdebäck and Andreas Jansson
Under seminariediskussionen behandlar vi följande: • Hur marknadsför vi oss nationellt och internationellt som forskningsmiljö
• Hur samarbetar/samverkar vi med andra lärosäten när det gäller forskning, kurser, program och doktorander |
| 27/4 |
Speaker: Jessica Carlsson |
Title: Investigating the correlation between miRNA expression and clinical stage, grade and outcome of prostate cancer
Abstract: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Sweden. During 2007, 8 870 new cases was diagnosed which made up 35 % of all cancer cases in men. The detection of prostate cancer is partly made by measuring prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein specifically produced by the cells in the prostate gland. An increased PSA value can be an indicator of prostate cancer but it can also be due to other diseases such as a benign hyperplasia or inflammation in the prostate.
MicroiRNAs (miRNA) is a small class of non protein coding RNAs of 18-22 nucleotides. Since the discovery of the first miRNA in C. elegans by Victor Ambrose and colleagues in 1993, a wide range of miRNAs has been found both in plants, animals and fungus. The role of miRNAs is to regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation, cleavage of mRNA or methylation of DNA. Studies have shown that a miRNA profile can be used to separate tumors according to developmental origin, differentiation and underlying genetic abnormality.
This study aims to find a miRNA profile that discriminate between normal and cancerous tissues in prostate cancer. Ultimately the aim is to find a set of miRNAs that can be used as markers for diagnosis, clinical stage, grade and outcome. Contact persons: Karin Klinga Levan, Björn Olsson, Jessica Carlsson. |
| 11/5 |
| Speaker: Karin Klinga Levan, Professor i biomedicin |
| Subject: Nydisputerad, vad händer sedan? |
25/5
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| Speaker: Joshi, M., Orenic, T. |
Title: Spatial regulation of proneural gene expression in the Drosophila Peripheral Nervous System
Abstract: The stereotypical arrangement of sensory bristles on the legs of the
Drosophila adult provides a good model system to study pattern formation during
development. The leg exhibits a precise pattern of small sensory bristles or microchaete (mC), in eight straight longitudinal rows. The proneural gene, achaete (ac), is expressed in longitudinal stripes, which comprise the leg microchaete (mC) primordia. We have previously shown that this organization requires the position-specific expression of two genes: the proneural gene achaete(ac) and hairy, which encodes a transcriptional repressor of ac. We have identified Delta (Dl), which encodes a Notch (N) ligand, as a second leg prepattern gene required to establish periodic ac expression. We show that, Hairy and Dl function concertedly and nonredundantly to define periodic ac expression.
Our findings have allowed us to formulate a general model for generation of a periodic bristle pattern in the adult leg. This process involves broad and late activation of ac expression combined with refinement in response to a prepattern of repression, established by Hairy and Dl. This prepattern of repression, unfolds progressively during larval and early prepupal stages of development. Our model is supported by the analysis of an enhancer that specifically directs ac expression in the leg microchaete proneural fields and is spatially and temporally regulated. This enhancer contains a small activation element, which directs broad expression of ac along the leg circumference, and is associated with two repression elements, one that is Dl/N-responsive and another that is Hairy-responsive.
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