UW-Madison Department of Biochemistry RNA MaxiGroup logo

 

RNA research at Madison thrives in many labs. RNA MaxiGroup is intended to bring those labs together to exchange ideas and methods. Presentations are without slides to encourage discussion.

Anyone interested is welcome, even if they are not particularly interested in RNA in general - graduate students, post-docs, staff and faculty.

Email to join the mailing list.

Light snacks are provided before seminar, beginning at 5:15 pm

Organizers - Marv Wickens (Chair), Dave Brow, Sam Butcher, Jim Dahlberg, Aaron Hoskins, Judith Kimble, Andrew Mehle and Mike Sheets.

Image of structure of 5’ UMP

Structure of 5’ UMP bound in the active site of Usb1. From the Sam Butcher lab

Figure of single molecule colocalization

Data from the Hoskins Lab depicting single molecule colocalization of the yeast U1 snRNP and Branchpoint Bridging Protein (BBP) during spliceosome E complex formation

Photo of Bicc1 particles in Retinal pigment epithelial cells. From the Mike Sheets lab

Cytoplasmic particles formed by the human Bicaudal-C translational repressor protein

Photo of Aaron Hoskins and Josh Larson

Aaron Hoskins (left) and Josh Larson (right) use their multi-wavelength, micro-mirror CoSMoS microscope for single molecule studies of spliceosome assembly

Image of U1 snRNP and branchpoint bridging protein

U1 snRNP (red) and branchpoint bridging protein (green) binding events on 30 single molecules of pre-mRNA, seen by Colocalization Single Molecule Spectroscopy. Spliceosome E complex formation is noted by the blue bars. From the Aaron Hoskins lab

Photo of RNA-binding proteins in neurons

Investigating the function of RNA-binding proteins in neurons. From the Jill Wildonger lab

Image of human cardiomyocyte

Human cardiomyocyte derived from IPS cells. From the Mike Sheets lab

Crystal structure of the yeast Prp24-U6 RNA complex

Crystal structure of the yeast Prp24-U6 RNA complex (PDB ID: 4n0t) illustrating the topological entanglement of RNA and protein. From the Dave Brow lab

Image of protein curvature

Protein curvature in a common architecture determines the specificity of RNA-protein interactions. Biochemical, genetic and structural analyses of multiple PUF proteins bound to their RNA targets reveals that the curvature of the proteins is critical in determining which RNAs each protein binds. Wickens and T. Hall labs

Illustration of hotspot mutations

The Hoskins Lab studies hotspot mutations in the spliceosome protein SF3b1 that cause myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and other blood cancers

Structure of U6 RNA

Structure of U6 RNA bound to Prp24 from the Sam Butcher lab

Figure of RNA duplex

The Hoskins Lab studies how the spliceosome protein SF3b1 recognizes the RNA duplex formed between the intronic branch site and the U2 snRNA

Image of mitochondrial functions

Control of many mitochondrial functions through the binding of a single PUF protein to many mRNAs. A multi-omic study integrated RNA tagging, CLIP, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics to identify mRNAs controlled by the PUF protein, Puf3p. These include the protein import machinery, the mitochondrial ribosome, and oxidative phosphorylation. Collaboration between Wickens and Pagliarini labs

Image of the yeast Sen1

Model of the yeast Sen1-dependent termination complex scanning a nascent RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcript. Binding of terminator elements in the transcript to Nrd1 and Nab3 elicits termination of transcription in a manner dependent on the helicase activity of Sen1 and glutamate 108 of the Rpb11 subunit. From the Dave Brow lab

Photo of influenza virus genome

The Andrew Mehle Lab “hacked” the influenza virus genome to encode the very small and bright NanoLuciferase. In the example shown here, reporter virus was imaged following infection in an embyronated chicken eggs. Blood vessels and the embryo at the bottom are clearly visible. Artistic license was used to depict virus streaking away from the open top of the infected egg

Figure of RNA-protein interactions

RNA-protein interactions inside a cell identified by “RNA tagging” A chimeric protein consisting of an RNA-binding protein (RBP) fused to a U-adding enzyme (PUP) is expressed in a cell. Binding of that RBP-PUP protein to an mRNA via a binding element (blue rectangle) marks that RNA with U’s. From the Marv Wickens lab

Photo of nematode

RNA regulation drives cell fate decisions in the germ cells in all animals. This general principle emerged from work on the nematode germline, which is pictured here with its stem cells at one end (blue) and gametes at the other (oocytes, green; sperm, red). From the Judith Kimble lab

Image of rewiring of RNA-protein networks

Evolutionary rewiring of RNA-protein networks. Direct biochemical analyses of RNA-protein interactions in two highly diverged fungal species demonstrates that a biological function controlled by Puf3p in one species is controlled by a different protein, Puf5p, in the other. Collaboration between the Wickens and Gasch labs

Image of kymograph

Tracks of machinery that support local translation in dendrites. From the Jill Wildonger lab

Image of influenza A reporter viruses

Fluorescent influenza A reporter viruses were designed to enable real-time detection of co-infected cells. Live cell imaging identifies cells infected by both a GFP and RFP reporter viruses. From the Andrew Mehle Lab

Image of new families of nucleotidyl transferase enzymes

New families of nucleotidyl transferase enzymes. The enzyme GLD-2 was discovered in C. elegans through a combination of genetics and biochemistry (collaboration of Kimble and Wickens labs). This led to tethered function assays that revealed families of regulatory enzymes that add A’s (PAPs) or U’s (PUPs) to a wide range of RNAs. Both families have widespread roles in biology, including development, the nervous system, and disease. From the Wickens lab

Photo of Luisa Cochella
Luisa Cochella
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Melissa Harrison
Roles of miRNAs in animal development: Lessons from C. elegans
May 9, 2023 - 5:30pm
Room 2131, HFD Biochemistry Building
Photo of Greg Matera
Greg Matera
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: David Brow
Designing histone genes to interrogate effects of PTMs on pre-mRNA processing and cellular memory
April 18, 2023 - 5:30pm
Room 2131, HFD Biochemistry Building
Photo of Marta Gaglia
Marta M. Gaglia
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Andrew Mehle
The unexpected specificity of host RNA degradation by viruses and its role in self/non-self recognition and immune evasion
December 13, 2022 - 5:30pm
Room 2131, HFD Biochemistry Building
Photo of Katrin Karbstein
Katrin Karbstein
University of Florida Scripps
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Aaron Hoskins
What quality control during assembly and function has to do with ribosome surveillance and specialized ribosomes
October 4, 2022 - 5:30pm
Room 2131, HFD Biochemistry Building
Photo of Zachary Campbell
Zachary Campbell
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Judith Kimble, Marv Wickens
RNA control in pain-sensing neurons
September 13, 2022 - 5:30pm
Room 2131, HFD Biochemistry Building
Photo of David Bentley
David Bentley
University of Colorado–Anschutz Medical Campus
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: David Brow
Transcription speed: why it matters and how to control it
May 10, 2022 - 5:00pm
Room 1360, Genetics and Biotechnology
Photo of Chris Trotta
Chris Trotta
PTC Therapeutics
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Sam Butcher
Discovery of small molecule splicing modifiers to treat human disease
April 12, 2022 - 5:00pm
Room 1360, Genetics and Biotechnology Building
Photo of Sunnie Thompson
Sunnie Thompson
University of Alabama-Birmingham
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Andy Mehle
Unraveling the role of the small ribosomal protein eS25 in translation initiation, elongation and cell cycle control
March 8, 2022 - 6:30pm
Room 1360, Genetics and Biotechnology Building
Photo of Co Ji Lim
Ci Ji Lim
UW-Madison, Department of Biochemistry
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Aaron Hoskins
How ssDNA-binding cofactor CST sets the stage for DNA polymerase alpha/primase RNA-DNA primer synthesis: Insights from Human Telomere C-strand fill-in
February 8, 2022 - 6:30pm
Room 1360, Genetics and Biotechnology Building
RNA MaxiGroup icon
Justin Mabin, Bo Peng, Brian Carrick
UW-Madison
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Human spliceosomal snRNA sequence variants generate variant spliceosomes-Mabin Characterization of RNA binding protein regulation in neural stem cell quiescence exit-Peng Unraveling the multiple key roles of a single RBP in development-Carrick Register
January 12, 2022 - 3:00pm
Register here
Photo of Xinyu Zhao
Xinyu Zhao
UW-Madison, Department of Neuroscience, UW-Madison, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Aaron Hoskins
The Curious Case of RNA Binding Protein FMR1
December 14, 2021 - 6:30pm
Room 1360, Genetics and Biotechnology
Photo of Aurélie Rakotondrafara
Aurélie Rakotondrafara
UW-Madison, Department of Plant Pathology
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Andrew Mehle
What can we learn from plant virus translation?
November 9, 2021 - 6:30pm
TBA
Photo of Eckhard Jankowsky
Eckhard Jankowsky
Case Western University
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Sam Butcher
The kinetic landscape of an RNA-binding protein in cells
May 11, 2021 - 3:30pm
Contact Crystal Peterson for invitation
Photo of Jamie Cate
Jamie Cate
UC-Berkeley
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: James Dahlberg
Selective Modulation of Human Translation: Potential for New Therapeutics
April 13, 2021 - 3:30pm
Contact Crystal Peterson for invitation
Chuan He
University of Chicago
Seminar Series: RNA MaxiGroup
Host: Aaron Hoskins
CANCELED
May 12, 2020 - 6:30pm
Room 1360, Genetics and Biotechnology Building

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