Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti -- Analog and Digital modes of gene expression regulation and memory [ONLINE]
| Dates: | 6 December 2023 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Department of Mathematics |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti |
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Join us for this seminar by Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti (University of Glasgow) as part of the North West Seminar Series in Mathematical Biology and Data Sciences. Details of the full series can be found here https://www.cms.livjm.ac.uk/APMSeminar/
The talk will be hosted by the University of Liverpool and available to watch via zoom. Please contact carl.whitfield@manchester.ac.uk or mirela.domijan@liverpool.ac.uk for the zoom link, or sign up to the mailing list.
Title: Analog and Digital modes of gene expression regulation and memory
Abstract: Some plants must experience a prolonged period of cold before they can flower, thus ensuring that winter has passed. This process, called “vernalization”, is controlled by the gene FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and its regulators in Arabidopsis thaliana. My work has combined mathematical modelling with experiments to understand how plants set up and how they satisfy this “need” for the cold. In this talk I will discuss a common theme that has emerged from this work: “Analog” vs “Digital” control of quantitative gene expression. “Digital” refers to each cell being in an ON or OFF state with respect to the expression of a gene. Quantitative variation then comes at the population level from the proportion of cells in each state. Instead, in the “Analog” case, each cell can quantitatively control the expression level of the gene. We have found that long-term sensing can occur in either form, whereas memory across seasons favours “Digital” control. Recent work has demonstrated that there can be an interplay between these two modes of quantitative regulation. We found that the two are combined in regulating FLC starting levels in response to genetic variation, thus controlling how much cold is necessary to satisfy the vernalization requirement and ensure flowering in spring.
To subscribe to the mailing list for this event series, please send an e-mail with the phrase “subscribe math-lifesci-seminar” in the message body to listserv@listserv.manchester.ac.uk
Speaker
Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti
Role: Lecturer
Organisation: University of Glasgow
Travel and Contact Information
