[Jigok Lecture Series] ▶Subject: Regulation of Ciliogenesis ▶Speaker: Prof. Joon Kim (Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST) ▶Date: 4:30PM/Apr. 21(Thu.)/2016 ▶Place: Auditorium(1F), Postech Biotech Center *Abctract Primary cilia function as sensory organelles, detecting chemical and mechanical stimuli from the environment. Moreover, primary cilia can modulate the activity of several signaling pathways that play key roles in embryonic development and tumorigenesis. We are interested in the regulation of the assembly and disassembly of primary cilia. Our recent results indicate that actin cytoskeletal architecture plays a key role in determining cellular ciliogenic potential through its effect on YAP nuclear translocation. YAP and its paralog TAZ are transcriptional coactivators, which mediate transcriptional responses to mechanical cues instructed by both cellular microenvironment and internal actomyosin contractility. Cell spreading or stiff extracellular substrate lead to nuclear accumulation of YAP/TAZ, whereas cell spatial confinement or soft substrate induces their cytoplasmic retention. We found that cytoplasmic sequestration of YAP/TAZ correlates with the presence of primary cilia either in spatially confined cells or in cells treated with cytochalasin D, an actin polymerization inhibitor. Remarkably, depletion of YAP/TAZ is sufficient to induce the assembly of primary cilia, whereas YAP/TAZ hyperactivation promotes the cilium disassembly pathway. Our results suggest that primary cilia play a broader role in mechanotransduction both as a sensor and an effector. We further speculate that mechanical stresses intrinsic to embryonic morphogenesis may modulate cilium-dependent signal transduction. ▶Inquiry: Prof. Lee, Seung-Jae (279-2351) * This seminar will be given in English. please refrain from taking photos during seminars. *