Past Events

Ahna Skop, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin- Madison "The Midbody is a Translationally Active RNP Granule"

Monday, September 16, 2019, 12:00pm - 01:00pm

Skop pictureAhna Skop, Ph.D.

Professor
Genetics, Life Sciences Communication, and UW-Madison Arts Institute
University of Wisconsin- Madison

Hosted by Maureen Barr and Andy Singson, 

Noon, Monday September 16, 2019
Auditorium, Life Sciences Building
145 Bevier Rd. Busch Campus, Piscataway, NJ 08854

"The Midbody is a Translationally Active RNP Granule"

The midbody is a transient structure derived from the spindle midzone and is essential for normal cell division. Long conceptualized as a simple structural remnant subject to degradation following cytokinesis, emerging data suggest that midbodies may play instructive post-mitotic roles in establishing cell fate, tissue polarity, cilia formation, neuron function, and oncogenesis. We are exploring the hypothesis that the electron-dense midbody matrix, functions as a novel class of RNA granule, and thus, we are calling this structure the Cytokinesis granule (or C-granule). We are currently assessing the functional significance of specific C-granule RNAs, signals controlling RNA localization, RNP formation and maintenance, and the mechanism of localized translation. We suggest that one of the goals of animal cytokinesis, besides cell separation, is to assemble the C-granule, a structure utilized primarily post-mitotically in cell fate and proliferation decisions.

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