Below, you can find detailed information about the course registration and also more information about a few of the speakers in the upcoming semester. The first lecture is planned for 3rd March 2022:
The lectures will be organized in classic in-person form. (However, in case of worsening of the situation with covid-19, we will be prepared to switch into an online form.)
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Linda Nosková at noskova@sci.muni.cz (new administrator of the Life Sciences Seminar).
When & where?
Life Sciences lectures: Thursdays, 4 p.m. at University Campus Bohunice, Building B11, Room 132
Mendel lectures: Thursdays, 5 p.m. at Mendel Museum Augustinian Refectory at Mendel Square
Registration of the course
For registration of the course, please, see the table with courses specification. Now, the attendance requirements are the same for all courses. Please check whether you have enrolled the course according the type of your study - see the table:
For whom
Code
FACULTY OF SCIENCE and others - 5 attendances required
Bc and Master students of SCI MUNI & other faculties
Monika Gullerova will give her talk RNA Dependent DNA Damage Response on March 10, 2022.
Genetic information stored in DNA is continuously exposed to endogenous or exogenous damaging factors. Efficient DNA damage repair is a fundamental process for every living organism. The accumulation of DNA damage affects cellular viability and leads to a variety of diseases, particularly cancer.
Therefore, understanding of the molecular mechanisms necessary for DNA damage repair is of great importance. A myriad of repair factors target double-strand breaks (DSBs) by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR) pathways (1, 2). However, the relevance of RNA for the DNA damage response (DDR) is currently not understood and the impact of transcription on genome stability and the role of RNA binding factors as well as function of small RNA (DDRNA) remain enigmatic. Our proposed research aims to elucidate molecular mechanism of RNA dependent DDR. Our results might pave a new way for design of RNA based cancer therapies as well as discovery of new biomarkers.
Dr. Zdeněk Lánský, Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV
Dr. Zdeněk Lánský will give his talk Reconstituting Cytoskeleton - One Molecule at a Timeon March 31, 2022.
Structural proteins that form cytoskeletal networks form the internal dynamic scaffold of living cells. These networks enable cells to generate mechanical forces, provide their rigidity and drive adaptive changes in their shape and three-dimensional organization. How the individual structural elements of the cytoskeleton mechanically coopeate to produce coherent behavior of the cytoskeletal network during these processes is not understood.
To address these questions, we use genetic manipulations, biochemical and biophysical methods including imaging and manipulation of single molecules. In order to get quantitative insight into the functioning of the networks, we accompany our experimental approach with mathematical modeling.
Prof. Sarah Tishkoff, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Sarah Tishkoff will give her talk Genomic Evolution and Adaptation in Africa on April 14, 2022as a part of Mendel Lectures.
Tishkoff has been a leading figure in using genetics to advance understanding of modern human diversity. In 2001, Tishkoff and colleagues were some of the first to show the genomic signature of natural selection in human populations. Some of her most cited research is a study on genomic variation around the lactase gene, the first to show coevolution of a cultural and genetic trait. Tishkoff was able to link evolution of cattle domestication to lactase persistence.
Her more recent work includes the largest genomic study across ethnically diverse Africans, and the identification of novel genetic variants associated with skin color. Her research goal is to identify genetic and environmental factors that play a role in a number of anthropometric, metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune related traits.
Prof. Martin Wikelski, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany
Martin Wikelski will give his talk The Internet of Animals on April 28, 2022as a part of Mendel Lectures.
He is currently investigating global migratory patterns in animals with particular emphasis on conservation, detection of disasters, disease spread, and global change. He is leading the ICARUS (International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space) initiative, aimed at installing the “Internet of Animals” and aided by a small-object tracking system on the International Space Station:
Dr. Jayakrishnan Nandakumar, University of Michigan, USA
Jayakrishnan Nandakumar will give his talk Understanding the multiple functions of human telomeres on May 19, 2022.
The lab’s research philosophy is to use a multi-pronged approach integrating structural, biochemical and cytological techniques that each feed into one another to develop a molecular model for how telomeres and telomerase perform their critical functions in mitotic and meiotic cells.
