KAUST Environmental Epigenetics Program (KEEP) invites you to a talk by Professor Or Gozani, Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology at Stanford University.
New Functions for Protein Methylation Signaling in Human Health and Disease
Wednesday, March 28 at 4:00 p.m.
Building 2, Level 5, Room 5209
Abstract:
The main focus of the Gozani laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which protein lysine methylation regulates chromatin biology, epigenetics, and cellular signaling, and how disruption in these mechanisms contribute to cancer and other diseases. We study how lysine methylation events on histone and non-histone proteins are generated, sensed, and transduced, and how these chemical marks integrate with other modification and cellular signaling networks to govern diverse functions. We previously identified the PHD finger and the BAH domain as methyl lysine-binding “reader” domains and provided evidence that disrupting the read-out of histone modifications cause inherited human diseases. Current research efforts are aimed at discovery and characterization of new methyl-sensitive reader domains functioning in both chromatin and non-chromatin pathways. Another major focus of the lab is to uncover the catalytic, biological, and pathologic functions of the many protein methyltransferases present in the human genome. I will discuss our most recent work in these areas with a focus on newly discovered enzymes that regulate tumorigenesis and the host response to infectious disease.
Bio
Dr. Gozani is the Morris Herzstein Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology at Stanford University. Dr. Gozani received his BA from UC Berkeley and his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard Medical School. He started his lab at Stanford at 2005 and received Tenure in 2011. Research in the Gozani lab centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which protein lysine methylation regulates epigenetic programs and cellular signaling, and how disruption in these mechanisms contribute to cancer and other diseases. Dr. Gozani is a recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award in Biomedical Sciences, a Kimmel Scholar Award, a Searle Scholar Award, and an Ellison Senior Scholar in Aging Award. Dr. Gozani serves as an Editor for The Journal of Biological Chemistry and Nature Scientific Reports. Dr. Gozani is co-founder of two biotech companies: EpiCypher, Inc and Athelas Therapeutics.