Channel: iBiology

Category: Science & Technology

Tags: nonsense mutationtranscriptiongenetic compensationgenetic mutationtoxic proteintranscriptional adaptationmutationsgenetic superheromrna decaytranslationzebrafishgenetic diseasemrna degradation

Description: iBiology.org Some people harbor deleterious mutations in disease-relevant genes, yet they are completely healthy. How are scientists trying to understand these so-called ‘genetic superheros’? In this Share Your Research talk, Dr. Mohamed El-Brolosy describes his thesis research in the model organism zebrafish. Dr. El-Brolosy found that genetic compensation to deleterious mutations relies on degradation of the mutant mRNA, which triggers upregulation of compensatory genes in a homology-dependent manner. These findings can inform strategies to better understand and treat genetic diseases, many of which have limited therapeutic options. 0:00-4:46 Genetic superheroes and transcriptional adaptation 4:47-10:38 Transcriptional adaptation is associated with RNA decay 10:38-14:37 RNA-less mutants do not exhibit transcriptional adaptation 14:38-20:23 RNA decay is linked to homology-dependent genetic compensation 20:23 Implications for human genetics Speaker Biography: Dr. Mohamed El-Brolosy researches genetic compensation and how organisms adapt to mutations, and has authored numerous highly cited papers on the subject. He performed this thesis research with Dr. Didier Stainier at the Max Planck Institute for Heart & Lung Research. He is currently a junior fellow at the Harvard society of fellows. Follow him on Twitter: @MohamedBrolosy Brittany Anderton (iBiology): Producer Eric Kornblum (iBiology): Videographer Rebecca Ellsworth (iBiology): Editor Jiefei Yuan (iBiology): Editor Chris George (iBiology): Graphics Maggie Hubbard (iBiology): Graphics Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under creative commons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 © 2007-2021 Science Communication Lab™. All rights reserved.