Felipe K. Teixeira (U. of Cambridge, UK) Genome evolution and the control of transposable elements during germline development in Drosophila
Dept. of Genetics, University of Cambridge, (UK)
Genome evolution and the control of transposable elements during germline development in Drosophila
Friday 11th March, 2022 at 11:00
Salle Favard
Ecole Normale Supérieure
46 rue d’Ulm - Paris
Invited by Vincent Colot, IBENS (http://www.ibens.ens.fr)
If you would like to meet the speaker, please contact vincent.colot
Summary
In multicellular eukaryotes, the germline is considered to be the battleground where genomic selfish DNA modules – like transposable elements (TEs) – and their hosts engage in an endless arms race. On one side, selfish elements aim to invade genomes and increase in copy number by mobilization, while on the other side host mechanisms act to suppress TE activity and its potential detrimental effects. Often balanced, host and TE actions are thought to preserve the functional and structural integrity of the genome while allowing evolution. However, if left unchecked, TE activity can be catastrophic and lead to sterility. Relying on a system that is amenable for both detailed and large-scale experimental approaches - the Drosophila germline - our group integrates high-throughput molecular and imaging analysis, computational approaches, genetics, and developmental analysis to dissect the molecular mechanisms regulating the activity of invading as well as resident TEs, and the impact of such processes on genome stability and evolution.
Gebert, LK Neubert, C Lloyd, J Gui, R Lehmann, FK Teixeira (2021) Large Drosophila germline piRNA clusters are evolutionarily labile and dispensable for transposon regulation. Molecular cell 81 : 3965-3978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2021.07.011