[2018 Spring Life Sciences & IBB Seminar]

▶Subject: Frog-omics: Xenopus as a new model system For functional genomics to study human diseases

▶Speaker: Prof. Taejoon Kwon

▶Place: Auditorium(1F), Postech Biotech Center

▶Abctract
Recently we finished the genome project for African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, the one of major model organisms in cell and developmental biology. By analyzing almost ten thousands highly conserved duplicated genes, we revealed the functional consequence of duplicated genes during vertebrate development. Large-scale gene dosage imbalance by chromosomal duplication causes many human diseases, including Down syndrome and various types of cancers. Although we have learned about the functional consequences of duplicated genes in several model organisms, such as yeast and plants, there was no proper model system to study their roles in vertebrate development. Here I present the allotetraploid genome of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis that has maintained two copies of nine homologous (duplicated) chromosomes (2N=18) for over 17 million years. In addition to the insight for the genome duplication, these genomic resources would make Xenopus as an attractive model organism in genomic research to study the function of human disease-associated genes. I will present some examples of functional genomic studies with Xenopus.

▶Inquiry: Prof. Jin-Kwan Han (279-2126)

* This seminar will be given in English.
Please refrain from taking photos during seminars. *