SPLS Tuesday Seminar - Using large-scale comparative -omic analyses to uncover functional elements in plant genomes

Dr. Andrew Nelson, Assistant Professor
Boyce Thompson Institute
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 - 4:00pm
Marley 230 or Zoom https://arizona.zoom.us/j/83941552191 password: spls2022

Abstract: 
Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are a large yet enigmatic class of eukaryotic transcripts that can have a wide array of critical biological functions. The wealth of RNA-seq data available for plants provides the opportunity to implement a harmonized identification and annotation effort for lincRNAs that enables cross-species functional and genomic comparisons as well as prioritization of functional candidates. In this study we present a synopsis of recent work from our group describing the functional annotation of lincRNAs in four Brassicaceae: Arabidopsis thalianaCamelina sativa, Brassica rapa, and Eutrema salsugineum1. We then describe genetic, biochemical, and genomic efforts to begin functionally characterizing several Brassicaceae-conserved lincRNAs associated with germination and development in Arabidopsis. Twitter: NelsonLab@BTI
Bio:
Andrew Nelson received his Bachelors of Science in Biology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Texas A&M in the lab of Dr. Dorothy Shippen. He went on to his Post-doc at the University of Arizona under the mentorship of Drs. Mark Beilstein and Eric Lyons. He then came to the Boyce Thompson Institute in 2019, where his lab has been focused on RNA-mediated mechanisms of stress responses in plants.