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SUMMARY:Imaging gene activity in living cells. - Dr Jonathan Chubb\, Depar
 tment of Cell and Developmental Biology and MRC Laboratory for Molecular C
 ell Biology\, University College London
DTSTART:20150129T143000Z
DTEND:20150129T153000Z
UID:TALK56511@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Caroline Newnham
DESCRIPTION: Despite the generation of transcriptional differences between
  nearby\nrelated cells being the basis of most differentiation and disease
 \,\nstandard measures of RNA synthesis do not register the origins ofthese
 \ndifferences. Although useful for a sorting of genes to context\, bulk\nt
 echniques measure RNA levels from homogenous population extracts\, losing\
 ndynamic information from individual cells and portraying transcription as
 \na continuous smooth process. The reality is that transcription is\nirreg
 ular\, occurring in "bursts" or "pulses" with ON states interspersed\nby v
 ariable duration OFF states. This appears continuous when averaged\nover m
 illions of cells\,  but in individual cells\, there is considerable\nvaria
 bility\, and for most genes\, very little activity at any one time.\nThese
  phenomena have come to light with the advent of technologies for\nprecise
  detection of RNA in single cells\, allowing accurate measurements\nof RNA
  number\, or RNA emergence at a gene.  We would like to understand\nthe me
 chanistic basis of pulsing\, and how it is responsive to signals\,\ndevelo
 pmental\, chromatin and nuclear context.  We are testing the\nimplications
  of noisy transcription on the generation of diversity between cells in de
 velopmental and clinical contexts.\n\n
LOCATION:Part II Room\, Department of Genetics
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