"Insight into Protein Function Through Genome-wide Investigations"
Presented by Prof. Gavin MacBeath, Harvard University
Hosted by Prof. Brent Stockwell
Since biology moved to the molecular level over fifty years ago, we have learned much about the myriad proteins that control cellular processes and how defects in these proteins lead to human diseases. Most traditional investigations, however, focus on one or a few proteins at a time and so do not adequately reveal how proteins interconnect. We have adopted a broader and less biased approach to address two fundamental problems in cell biology: (1) How is molecular selectivity defined within the context of the proteome? and (2) How do signaling networks receive and process information? To address the first question, we have focused on a family of protein interaction modules called PDZ domains and to address the second question, we have focused on intracellular signaling networks activated by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Overall, our approach has been to collect high quality, quantitative data in an unbiased fashion and on a large scale, and then to extract from these data general principles that underlie how proteins interrelate. By coupling experimentation with mathematical modeling, we are beginning to understand better how biological systems are organized and how best to intervene when these systems go awry.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
4:00 - Tea & cookies - 328 Havemeyer
4:30 - Seminar - 209 Havemeyer
