Monday 15 October
from 13:00 to 14:00
at the Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Biomedical Sciences Building, University of Malta Msida Campus
from 13:00 to 14:00
at the Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Biomedical Sciences Building, University of Malta Msida Campus
Professor Liu will be delivering a research seminar on the current research programme of his lab entitled ‘The Assembly of the Cytoophidium’. The seminar will be held on Monday 15 October between 13:00 and 14:00 at the Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Biomedical Sciences Building, University of Malta Msida Campus.
Brief biography
Professor Liu obtained his Ph.D. from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2000. He did his postdoctoral studies at the University of Connecticut and at the Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science. Under the mentorship of Lasker awardee Prof. Joseph Gall, Prof. Liu identified and/or characterized several subcellular structures including the Cajal body and the histone locus body in the nucleus as well as the U body in the cytoplasm.
After establishing his lab at the University of Oxford in 2007, Prof. Liu’s team was the first to discover the cytoophidium (cell snake in Greek), a novel universal cellular organelle found to contain cytidine triphosphate (CTP) synthase. The Liu lab was also key for pioneering highly-efficient genome engineering technologies using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Prof. Liu also has a longtime interest in RNA processing, having investigated the function of long noncoding RNAs, miRNAs and snRNAs. Professor Liu joined ShanghaiTech University in 2016 and was appointed as Vice Dean of the School of Life Science and Technology in 2017.
After establishing his lab at the University of Oxford in 2007, Prof. Liu’s team was the first to discover the cytoophidium (cell snake in Greek), a novel universal cellular organelle found to contain cytidine triphosphate (CTP) synthase. The Liu lab was also key for pioneering highly-efficient genome engineering technologies using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Prof. Liu also has a longtime interest in RNA processing, having investigated the function of long noncoding RNAs, miRNAs and snRNAs. Professor Liu joined ShanghaiTech University in 2016 and was appointed as Vice Dean of the School of Life Science and Technology in 2017.
Abstract
Subcellular sequestration of proteins within membrane bound compartments is widely acknowledged to be an important mode of enzymatic regulation. Recently a novel paradigm for metabolic enzyme compartmentation has become apparent with the identification of several proteins which are able to form filamentous structures in vivo. Multiple studies independently identified the essential de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis enzyme CTP synthase as a major constituent of a novel filamentous structure which has been termed 'the cytoophidium'.
Cytoophidia have been observed to form in multiple organisms including bacteria, budding yeast and fruit flies as well as in human cultured cells. The Liu lab has recently performed a high throughput genome-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen in Drosophila cells to identify factors involved in cytoophidium biogenesis. The study provides an important resource for an integrative understanding of the biogenesis of this novel organelle.
Cytoophidia have been observed to form in multiple organisms including bacteria, budding yeast and fruit flies as well as in human cultured cells. The Liu lab has recently performed a high throughput genome-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen in Drosophila cells to identify factors involved in cytoophidium biogenesis. The study provides an important resource for an integrative understanding of the biogenesis of this novel organelle.
