Biology Seminar - Cornelis Murre | Tuesday, April 18, 2023 - 4 pm

Date -Tuesday, Tuesday, 18, 2023

Reception- 3:30 pm

Seminar - 4 pm

Location - Chen 100

Speaker - Cornelis Murre

Professor, University of California - San Diego

Faculty Host: Ellen Rothenberg

Title: Molecular Mechanisms that Instruct Nuclear Shape

Abstract:

It is established that swift migration through tight interstitial tissue spaces by immune cell types is conducted by polymorphonuclear structures. However, molecular programs that instruct nuclear shapes remain to be revealed. Here recent observations will be presented indicating that loss of loop extrusion rapidly converts hematopoietic mononuclear progenitors into polymorphonuclear cells. The conversion of mononuclear to polymorphonuclear morphologies was accompanied by massive chromatin remodeling at enhancers that harbor cis-elements associated with neutrophil-specific transcription factors. Halting loop extrusion acutely activated the expression of genes encoding for factors that instruct neutrophil development, activation, migration, extravascular migration, inflammation and respiratory bursts to neutralize phagocytosed bacteria. Finally, data will be presented indicating that distinct long-range intra-chromosomal interactions as well as inter-chromosomal interactions are closely associated with the assembly of distinct nuclear shapes. Based on these findings we propose strategies to engineer unique nuclear morphologies in order to facilitate cell migration across densely populated neighborhoods.