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Biological Chemistry Seminar

Date:
-
Location:
CP-137

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Catherine Denning will be presenting a seminar titled: Werner Syndrome: The Outcome of a Faulty Helicase.

Abstract: Helicases are enzymes that play an important role in the replication of DNA. Usually, when learning about DNA replication these enzymes are glossed over and simply referred to as “DNA- unwinding proteins”, with not much emphasis placed on their importance. Werner syndrome is an example of a disease in which there is a mutation to a helicase that completely changes the phenotype of the afflicted and highlights the importance of these enzymes in our bodies. Werner syndrome results from several possible mutations to the WRN gene that codes for a RecQ helicase (Damerla et al, 2012). This enzyme has been found to be an important player in fixing DNA damage and loss of function leads to pre-mature aging commonly seen with Werner syndrome.  Known to be an adult- onset form of Progeria, this disease is also incurable with many negative symptoms expressed throughout adulthood. This seminar will focus on highlighting genetics of the disease, its phenotype, as well as possible treatments and current research in the field.

References:

Coppedè, F. The Epidemiology of Premature Aging and Associated Comorbidities. Clinical Interventions in Aging. 2013, 8, 1023-1032.

Damerla, R.R.; Knickelbien, K.E; Strutt,S.; Liu, F.J.; Wang, H.; Opresko, P.L. Werner Syndrome Protein Suppresses the Formation of Large Deletions During the Replication of Human Telomere Sequences. Cell Cycle. 2012, 11, 3036-3044.

Oshima, J.; Martin, G.M.; Hisama, F.M. Werner Syndrome. GeneReviews®. Pagon, R.A.; Adam, M.P.; Ardinger, H.H.; et al., Ed. University of Washington. 2014.

Course Instructor: Dr. D. Allan Butterfield