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Epigenetic switching and antisense transcription

May.16,2018
Research Seminar
Title: Epigenetic switching and antisense transcription
Speaker: Prof Caroline Dean
Project Leader
Cell and Developmental Biology
The John Innes Centre
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Fellow of the Royal Society
Member of United States National Academy of Sciences
Time: 13:00-14:30, June 1, 2018
Location: Youcai Deng Hall,School of Life Sciences
Host:Weiqiang Qian
Abstract:
Chromatin regulation and non-coding transcription are now seen as major factors regulating gene expression in most eukaryotic genomes. Through the study of how plants time developmental transitions, we have discovered that Arabidopsis floral repressor FLC is an excellent system in which to dissect how non-coding transcription and chromatin mechanisms regulate gene expression. FLC expression is quantitatively modulated by an antisense-mediated chromatin mechanism that coordinately influences transcription initiation and elongation. Expression is then epigenetically silenced through a cold-induced, cis-based, Polycomb switching mechanism. The talk will describe our latest understanding of these conserved mechanisms and how they have been modulated during adaptation.  
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