Dr. Rodney Dale, cell molecular biologist position finalist, to give lecture on Feb. 2

Thursday, Feb. 2, 4-5 p.m.
Administration Building, Room 204

The Department of Biological Sciences and INBRE are pleased to have Dr. Rodney Dale, finalist for the Cell Molecular Biologist position, present "Zebrafish, A Great Model Organism to Elucidate Tissue Specific Gene Regulation." Dr. Dale is a Postdoctoral Associate at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, IL.

Abstract: Multiple studies have now demonstrated that it is not the number of genes that are critical for the structural differences observed between animals, but how the many conserved orthologous genes are regulated. Throughout evolution, natural selection has found ways to keep or introduce non-coding DNA sequence, known as regulatory elements, in the genome that transcription factor proteins can bind to and control the time and place other genes are expressed. This has resulted in the large structural variation observed between organisms while still using similar homologous genes.

My research interests lie in understanding the genetic regulation of critical structural genes and how we can use identified regulatory elements to drive gene expression at desired times and places. We utilize the excellent vertebrate model organism Danio rerio, the zebrafish. The zebrafish is amenable to the powerful and innovative combination of genetic, embryological, and molecular techniques, which allows us to use it to understand the genetic regulation of cartilage and bone formation of the vertebrate skull and notochord.