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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000"><b>Seminar on</b></font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000"><b>Modern Optics and Spectroscopy</b></font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><b>Molecular
tools for studying genetically challenging organisms</b></font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000"><b>Jacquin Niles</b>, MIT</font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000">Tuesday, November 24, 2009</font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">12:00
- 1:00 p.m.</font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#000000">Several
pathogens of global importance, such as<i> Plasmodium falciparum</i>,
have proven difficult to study due to availability of only a very
limited molecular toolkit for perturbing protein function.
Understanding protein function in its native biological context
requires the ability to regulate parameters such as expression level,
timing of expression and localization, which can facilitate linking a
specific protein to a defined cellular process or pathway. This
information can improve both basic understanding of the target
organism's biology as well as impact therapeutic development efforts
by providing functionally validated targets.</font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#000000">Here, we
present our initial efforts at introducing a generic and expandable
strategy for experimentally regulating protein expression level.
Overall, we emphasize applicability in multiple organisms, independent
of their genetic tractability. Our approach is premised upon
experimentally regulating the multiple fates of mRNA within cells.
For example, using basic knowledge of translational regulation
mechanisms, we demonstrate inducible protein expression in model
prokaryote and eukaryote systems. To accomplish this, we have
discovered RNA aptamer elements that reversibly interact with proteins
in a small molecule-dependent manner. Small molecule regulated
translation is then achieved by appropriately inserting these aptamer
elements into target mRNA. Current efforts involve optimizing
the robustness of these systems in conjunction with validating them
directly in<i> P. falciparum</i>. While these tools will be
broadly applicable, our future efforts will aim initially at using
them to study basic aspects of<i> P. falciparum</i> biology, such as
understanding cell cycle regulation during the red blood cell phase of
parasite development.</font></div>
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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Grier
Room, MIT Bldg 34-401</font></div>
<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman"
color="#000000">Refreshments served after the lecture</font></div>
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