Emerging Roles of the Nucleolus

October 24–27, 2019
Stowers Institute, Kansas City, Mo.

Organizers

Jennifer Gerton, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Francesca E. Duncan, Northwestern University
Craig Pikaard, Indiana University

The symposium focused on nucleolar structure and function. Addressing fundamental questions on this topic necessarily involves work in diverse scientific fields such as RNA biology, nuclear organization, gene regulation and genome stability. The sessions at this symposium were designed to bring together researchers from a wide variety of backgrounds in order to make connections across disciplines and promote collaboration.

Program schedule

Thursday October 24
Friday October 25
Saturday October 26
Sunday October 27

Thursday agenda

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Session I: rDNA dynamics

Chair: Jennifer Gerton, Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Nucleolar formation in human cells from a chromosomal perspective
Brian McStay, National University of Ireland, Galway
Delimiting NOR on/off switch elements via chromosome engineering
Craig Pikaard, Indiana University
Quantification of the dynamic behaviour of ribosomal DNA genes and nucleolus during yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle
Olivier Gadal, Toulouse University
Regulation and maintenance of nucleolus in Drosophila
Yukiko Yamashita, University of Michigan

Friday agenda

9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Session II: Transcription and the rDNA

Chair: Craig Pikaard, Indiana University

RNAP1 and the nascent transcript
David Tollervey, University of Edinburgh
RNA Pol I subunits and associated protein Treacle, are required to maintain nucleolar structure
Soma Dash, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Super-resolution microscopy reveals linkages between ribosomal DNA on heterologous chromosomes
Tamara Potapova, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Novel tetrasome-like architecture of an RNA polymerase I activator
Bruce Knutson, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Ribosome-targeted therapy is a novel strategy to treat head and neck squamous cell carcinoma associated with loss of rDNA copy number
Baoshan Xu, Sun Yat-sen University
Therapeutic targeting of RNA polymerase 1
Marikki Laiho, University of Helsinki
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Session III: Ribosome dynamics and translational control

Chair: Francesca Duncan, Northwestern University

Heresy in the nucleolus
Susan Baserga, Yale University
Unraveling mechanisms of specialized ribosome function in the male germline in Drosophila melanogaster
Vassie Ware, Lehigh University
Control of temporal progression of neural development by preferential protein translation in Drosophila sensory organ development
Haiwei Pi, Chang Gung University
Hypoxic modulation of nucleolar events alters translational control
Rajeev Samant, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Fluorescently-tagged nucleolar fusion proteins illuminate nucleolar structure and enable a pooled CRISPRi screen in hiPSCs
Amanda Haupt, Allen Institute for Cell Science

Saturday agenda

9:00 AM - 11:45 AM

Session IV: Nucleoli and ribosomes in cell division and development

Chair: Paul Trainor, Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Nucleoli in oocytes and embryos — unusual structure with unusual function
Helena Fulka, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Experimental Medicine
Consequences of absence of a nucleolar structure during embryonic development
Elif Sarinay Cenik, University of Texas
A role for ribosome biogenesis in neuronal development and myelination
Kristin Watt, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Ribosomal RNA transcription is tissue-specifically regulated during cranial neural crest development
Karla Terrazas, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Ribosomal RNA precursors regulate chromosome segregation during mitosis
Xiaochun Yu, City of Hope
rDNA and rDNA-binding protein Indra mediate non-random sister chromatid segregation during asymmetric division of Drosophila male germline stem cells
George Watase, University of Michigan
The “controlling element” that regulates X chromosome non-disjunction and subsequent elimination in the fly Sciara resides within the tandemly repeated ribosomal RNA genes
Susan Gerbi, Brown University
1:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Session V: Nucleoli under stress

Chair: Susan Baserga, Yale School of Medicine

Nucleolar stress in Drosophila during heat shock
Patrick DiMario, Louisiana State University
“Stressed out” nucleolar proteins: Nucleolin (NCL) phosphorylation in RNA binding and gene expression
Anjana Saxena, Brooklyn College
Nol9 is a spatial regulator for the essential human ITS2 pre-rRNA endonuclease-kinase complex
Jacob Gordon, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Understanding the causes of nucleolar stress induction with platinum (II) chemotherapeutic agents
Emily Sutton, University of Oregon
Phase separation by NPM1 in the nucleolus; roles in ribosome biogenesis, tumor suppression and neurodegeneration
Michael White, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Understanding the role of Wnt signaling-driven nucleolar dynamics in breast cancer progression
Shannon Weeks, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Sunday agenda

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Session VI: Nucleolar impacts on the genome

Chair: Yukiko Yamashita, University of Michigan

Nucleolar regulation of longevity and immunity
Adam Antebi, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing
Increased stability of TIF-IA linked to increased nucleolar size and NF-kappaB pathway activation in senescence
Lesley Stark, University of Edinburgh
Cis-elements on the Y chromosome dictate nucleolar dominance in Drosophila melanogaster
Natalie Warsinger-Pepe, University of Michigan
Small but greedy: a minimal rDNA array outcompetes the genome for replication initiation
Elizabeth Kwan, University of Washington
rDNA-specific retrotransposons are required to maintain rDNA copy number in the Drosophila male germline
Jonathan Nelson, University of Michigan
Exploring the role of ribosomal DNA copy number in aging
Ashley Hall, University of Washington
Quantitative detection of human cell nucleoli
Denis Lafontaine, Université Libre de Bruxelles

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