Click here for more information about Dr. Sarah Tishkoff.

Abstract:

Africa is thought to be the ancestral homeland of all modern human populations.  It is also a region of tremendous cultural, linguistic, climatic, and genetic diversity.   Despite the important role that African populations have played in human history, they remain one of the most underrepresented groups in human genomics studies. A comprehensive knowledge of patterns of variation in African genomes is critical for a deeper understanding of human genomic diversity, the identification of functionally important genetic variation, the genetic basis of adaptation to diverse environments and diets, and for reconstructing modern human origins. African populations practice diverse subsistence patterns (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, agriculturalists, and agro-pastoralists) and live in diverse environments with differing pathogen exposure (tropical forest, savannah, coastal, desert, low altitude, and high altitude) and, therefore, are likely to have experienced local adaptation. In this talk I will discuss results of analyses of genome-scale genetic variation in geographically, linguistically, and ethnically diverse African populations in order to reconstruct human evolutionary history in Africa, African and African American ancestry, as well as the genetic basis of adaption to diverse environments.

Click here for more information about Dr. Sarah Tishkoff.

Abstract:

Africa is thought to be the ancestral homeland of all modern human populations.  It is also a region of tremendous cultural, linguistic, climatic, and genetic diversity.   Despite the important role that African populations have played in human history, they remain one of the most underrepresented groups in human genomics studies. A comprehensive knowledge of patterns of variation in African genomes is critical for a deeper understanding of human genomic diversity, the identification of functionally important genetic variation, the genetic basis of adaptation to diverse environments and diets, and for reconstructing modern human origins. African populations practice diverse subsistence patterns (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, agriculturalists, and agro-pastoralists) and live in diverse environments with differing pathogen exposure (tropical forest, savannah, coastal, desert, low altitude, and high altitude) and, therefore, are likely to have experienced local adaptation. In this talk I will discuss results of analyses of genome-scale genetic variation in geographically, linguistically, and ethnically diverse African populations in order to reconstruct human evolutionary history in Africa, African and African American ancestry, as well as the genetic basis of adaption to diverse environments.

Click here for more information about Dr. Sarah Tishkoff.

Abstract:

Africa is thought to be the ancestral homeland of all modern human populations.  It is also a region of tremendous cultural, linguistic, climatic, and genetic diversity.   Despite the important role that African populations have played in human history, they remain one of the most underrepresented groups in human genomics studies. A comprehensive knowledge of patterns of variation in African genomes is critical for a deeper understanding of human genomic diversity, the identification of functionally important genetic variation, the genetic basis of adaptation to diverse environments and diets, and for reconstructing modern human origins. African populations practice diverse subsistence patterns (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, agriculturalists, and agro-pastoralists) and live in diverse environments with differing pathogen exposure (tropical forest, savannah, coastal, desert, low altitude, and high altitude) and, therefore, are likely to have experienced local adaptation. In this talk I will discuss results of analyses of genome-scale genetic variation in geographically, linguistically, and ethnically diverse African populations in order to reconstruct human evolutionary history in Africa, African and African American ancestry, as well as the genetic basis of adaption to diverse environments.

Dr. Christopher Vulpe | Vulpe Lab

Bio: 

Chris Vulpe, MD, PhD. is a Professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville in the Center for Environmental

and Human Toxicology. Dr. Vulpe received his MD and PhD from the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Vulpe’s group uses systems level approaches in eukaryotes from yeast to people to identify the functional

components that respond to and modulate the consequences of environmental stressors. Most recently, his laboratory is utilizing genome wide and targeted CRISPR screens to understand the mechanisms of toxicity of environmental chemicals. Dr. Vulpe is an author or co-author on >175 papers in peer reviewed journals and books. His group uses functional, genomic, and genetic approaches to provide insight into mechanisms of toxicity in diverse model systems including human models such as human cell culture, organoids, and rodents, as well as ecologically relevant organisms such as Daphnia magna.

 

Dr. Christopher Vulpe | Vulpe Lab

Bio: 

Chris Vulpe, MD, PhD. is a Professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville in the Center for Environmental

and Human Toxicology. Dr. Vulpe received his MD and PhD from the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Vulpe’s group uses systems level approaches in eukaryotes from yeast to people to identify the functional

components that respond to and modulate the consequences of environmental stressors. Most recently, his laboratory is utilizing genome wide and targeted CRISPR screens to understand the mechanisms of toxicity of environmental chemicals. Dr. Vulpe is an author or co-author on >175 papers in peer reviewed journals and books. His group uses functional, genomic, and genetic approaches to provide insight into mechanisms of toxicity in diverse model systems including human models such as human cell culture, organoids, and rodents, as well as ecologically relevant organisms such as Daphnia magna.

 

Dr. Francois Spitz | Spitz Lab

Bio:

PhD from Université Paris 6 (France)

Group Leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (2006-2015) (Heidelberg, Germany)

Head of Research Unit at the Institut Pasteur (2015-2019) (Paris, France)

Professor, The University of Chicago (2019-.)

Abstract:

The mechanisms that regulate the efficiency and specificity of interactions between distant genes and cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers play a central role in shaping the specific regulatory programs that control cell fate and identity. In particular, the (epi)genetic elements that organize the 3D folding of the genome in specific loops and domains have emerged as key determinants of this process. I will discuss our current views on how 3D genome architecture is organized, how it influences gene regulatory interactions and illustrate how alterations of the mechanisms and elements that organize genomes in 3D could contribute to genomic disorders and genome evolution.

Dr. Francois Spitz | Spitz Lab

Bio:

PhD from Université Paris 6 (France)

Group Leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (2006-2015) (Heidelberg, Germany)

Head of Research Unit at the Institut Pasteur (2015-2019) (Paris, France)

Professor, The University of Chicago (2019-.)

Abstract:

The mechanisms that regulate the efficiency and specificity of interactions between distant genes and cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers play a central role in shaping the specific regulatory programs that control cell fate and identity. In particular, the (epi)genetic elements that organize the 3D folding of the genome in specific loops and domains have emerged as key determinants of this process. I will discuss our current views on how 3D genome architecture is organized, how it influences gene regulatory interactions and illustrate how alterations of the mechanisms and elements that organize genomes in 3D could contribute to genomic disorders and genome evolution.

Dr. Francois Spitz | Spitz Lab

Bio:

PhD from Université Paris 6 (France)

Group Leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (2006-2015) (Heidelberg, Germany)

Head of Research Unit at the Institut Pasteur (2015-2019) (Paris, France)

Professor, The University of Chicago (2019-.)

Abstract:

The mechanisms that regulate the efficiency and specificity of interactions between distant genes and cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers play a central role in shaping the specific regulatory programs that control cell fate and identity. In particular, the (epi)genetic elements that organize the 3D folding of the genome in specific loops and domains have emerged as key determinants of this process. I will discuss our current views on how 3D genome architecture is organized, how it influences gene regulatory interactions and illustrate how alterations of the mechanisms and elements that organize genomes in 3D could contribute to genomic disorders and genome evolution.

Dr. Blake Meyers | Meyers Lab

BIO: 

Blake Meyers is a Member & Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St.

Louis, and he is a Professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology at the University of

Missouri - Columbia. He formerly held the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg

professorship at the University of Delaware, where his research group was from 2002 to 2015. He

was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2012,

and a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) in 2017, the same year he was

awarded the Charles Albert Shull Award by the ASPB for outstanding investigations in the field of

plant biology. He was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2022. After serving on the

editorial board since 2008, Blake became the Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell in January 2020. Work

in his lab addresses the biological functions, biogenesis, genomic impact, and evolution of small

RNAs in diverse plant species, using combination of genomic and molecular genetics approaches,

with a focus on phased, secondary siRNAs (“phasiRNAs”).



He received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Chicago in 1992, and

working with Prof. Richard Michelmore at UC Davis, was awarded M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in genetics in 1995 and 1998, respectively. After that, he did a postdoc with Prof. Michele Morgante at DuPont Crop Genetics, working on maize genomics for 2 years before returning to Prof. Michelmore’s group at UC Davis in 2000 to do a 2nd postdoc on Arabidopsis disease resistance. In 2002, Blake started his

own research group at the University of Delaware. He was the chair of the Department of Plant & Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware from 2009 to 2015.

Abstract:

In plants, 21 or 22-nt miRNAs or siRNAs typically negatively regulate target genes through mRNA cleavage or translational inhibition. Heterochromatic or Pol IV are 24-nt and function to maintain heterochromatin and silence transposons. Phased “secondary” siRNAs (phasiRNAs) are generated from mRNAs targeted by a typically 22-nt “trigger” miRNA, and are produced as either 21- or 24-mers via distinct pathways. Our prior work in maize and rice demonstrated the temporal and spatial distribution of two sets of “reproductive phasiRNAs”, which are extraordinarily enriched in the male germline of the grasses. These two sets are the 21-nt (pre-meiotic) and 24-nt (meiotic) siRNAs. Both classes are produced from long, non-coding RNAs, generated by hundreds to thousands of loci, depending on the species. These phased siRNAs show striking similarity to mammalian piRNAs in terms of their abundance, distribution, distinctive staging, and timing of accumulation, but they have independent evolutionary origins. The functions for these small RNAs in plants remain poorly characterized. I will describe our recent work investigating the functions of plant phasiRNAs and their roles in modulating traits of agronomic importance in plants, including male fertility, as well as novel applications of phasiRNAs such as those generated from transplastomic plants.

Dr. Blake Meyers | Meyers Lab

BIO: 

Blake Meyers is a Member & Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St.

Louis, and he is a Professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology at the University of

Missouri - Columbia. He formerly held the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg

professorship at the University of Delaware, where his research group was from 2002 to 2015. He

was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2012,

and a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) in 2017, the same year he was

awarded the Charles Albert Shull Award by the ASPB for outstanding investigations in the field of

plant biology. He was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2022. After serving on the

editorial board since 2008, Blake became the Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell in January 2020. Work

in his lab addresses the biological functions, biogenesis, genomic impact, and evolution of small

RNAs in diverse plant species, using combination of genomic and molecular genetics approaches,

with a focus on phased, secondary siRNAs (“phasiRNAs”).



He received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Chicago in 1992, and

working with Prof. Richard Michelmore at UC Davis, was awarded M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in genetics in 1995 and 1998, respectively. After that, he did a postdoc with Prof. Michele Morgante at DuPont Crop Genetics, working on maize genomics for 2 years before returning to Prof. Michelmore’s group at UC Davis in 2000 to do a 2nd postdoc on Arabidopsis disease resistance. In 2002, Blake started his

own research group at the University of Delaware. He was the chair of the Department of Plant & Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware from 2009 to 2015.

Abstract:

In plants, 21 or 22-nt miRNAs or siRNAs typically negatively regulate target genes through mRNA cleavage or translational inhibition. Heterochromatic or Pol IV are 24-nt and function to maintain heterochromatin and silence transposons. Phased “secondary” siRNAs (phasiRNAs) are generated from mRNAs targeted by a typically 22-nt “trigger” miRNA, and are produced as either 21- or 24-mers via distinct pathways. Our prior work in maize and rice demonstrated the temporal and spatial distribution of two sets of “reproductive phasiRNAs”, which are extraordinarily enriched in the male germline of the grasses. These two sets are the 21-nt (pre-meiotic) and 24-nt (meiotic) siRNAs. Both classes are produced from long, non-coding RNAs, generated by hundreds to thousands of loci, depending on the species. These phased siRNAs show striking similarity to mammalian piRNAs in terms of their abundance, distribution, distinctive staging, and timing of accumulation, but they have independent evolutionary origins. The functions for these small RNAs in plants remain poorly characterized. I will describe our recent work investigating the functions of plant phasiRNAs and their roles in modulating traits of agronomic importance in plants, including male fertility, as well as novel applications of phasiRNAs such as those generated from transplastomic plants.