第1220回生物科学セミナー

Transposable Elements as Catalysts of Regulatory Evolution

Professor Cedric Feschotte(Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University)

2018年07月12日(木)    17:00-18:00  理学部1号館東棟 287号室   

 Most eukaryotic genomes are replete with sequences derived from selfish genetic elements, such as transposable elements and endogenous viruses. In this talk, I will present a snapshot of the myriad ways these elements have influenced, for better or worse, the biology of their hosts, with a focus on gene regulation. I will argue that the conflict between selfish genetic elements and their host has led to an arms race which predispose for the cooption of these elements for cellular function. I will summarize a body of evidence supporting this idea and illustrating how regulatory and coding sequences prefabricated and dispersed by mobile elements have been repurposed throughout mammalian evolution to foster developmental and physiological innovations.