[bioundgrd] New Course on The Non-Coding RNA Revolution Being Offered This Fall! 7.344

[Joyce Roberge]

Hello Biology Majors,

We would like to draw your attention to an Advanced Undergraduate Seminar on Short and Long Non-coding RNAs. The class will cover microRNAs, siRNAs, CRISPR and different lncRNAs, see abstract and poster below.

We hope to see some of you there!

Katrin & Marko



7.344  The Non-Coding RNA Revolution

Instructors: Katrin Heindl (heindl at wi.mit.edu<mailto:heindl at wi.mit.edu>, 617-258-5990<tel:617-258-5990>); laboratory of David Bartel

                   Marko Knoll (knoll at wi.mit.edu<mailto:knoll at wi.mit.edu>, 617-253-0377<tel:617-253-0377>); laboratory of Harvey Lodish

Fall 2015. Wednesdays, 1 pm – 3 pm. (Day and time are flexible.) Room 68-150.


Until recently, the vast majority of the mammalian genome was commonly regarded as functionally inert. The 20,000 protein-coding genes and the genes for known non-coding RNAs (rRNAs, tRNAs, snoRNAs) together accounted for no more than 25% of the genome, separated by large stretches of highly repetitive, apparently transcriptionally silent sequence referred to as “junk DNA.” Over the past decade, new technologies such as microarray hybridization and next-generation DNA sequencing have enabled a thorough examination of entire transcriptomes (transcriptome, the total set of transcribed RNAs in a cell), uncovering a level of complexity far greater than expected. Now we understand that a substantial portion of the genome is transcribed, giving rise to an abundance of non-coding transcripts that mediate a diversity of unprecedented functions in gene regulation, including the establishment of repressive chromatin marks and sequence-specific silencing of messenger RNAs. In this class we will examine the modern techniques that have accelerated the field of non-coding RNAs, in particular next-generation sequencing. Focusing on the primary research literature, we will reconstruct the path from the implementation of these novel techniques to the analysis and integration of the data, arriving at the groundbreaking discovery of novel major classes of non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs and lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs). In humans, more than 60% of protein-coding genes are regulated by microRNAs, small non-coding RNAs that repress messenger RNAs based on sequence. Non-coding RNAs have been found especially important during development. During zebrafish morphogenesis, for example, one microRNA clears several hundred maternal messenger RNAs that were passed on to the embryo by the mother and drives the embryo into the next stage of development. The most famous lncRNA, Xist, orchestrates the inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals to equalize expression levels of X-encoded genes between females and males. In this class, we will explore the structural and functional diversity of non-coding RNAs, which have been implicated in modulating all stages of gene expression: establishment of chromatin states, transcription, translation, and mRNA stability. We will also discuss the roles of non-coding RNAs in diseases, such as cancer, in which the expression profiles of microRNAs are often dysregulated. Because microRNAs have varying expression patterns across different normal and pathological conditions, they are being used in molecular diagnostic tests for disorders as diverse as cancers, autoimmune diseases and infections. The class will visit a microRNA research laboratory and hear about challenges researchers must address in generating and analyzing microRNA data. This course aims to generate a deeper understanding of the biology of non-coding RNAs and teach students to critically read and interpret data in primary research papers. Students will be challenged to strengthen their critical thinking and analytical skills as well as their ability to think creatively and flexibly.






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