Abstract

RNA polymerase II is the enzyme responsible for synthesizing messenger RNAs and many non-coding RNAs in eukaryotes. Transcription by RNA polymerase II is a complex process regulated by the action of a vast number of transcriptional regulatory proteins that control when, where, and how often a gene is transcribed. Among these is a large multi-protein complex called the Mediator, which serves as a central organizing hub transmitting signals that regulate RNA polymerase II during all stages of transcription. In this lecture, the speaker will focus on roles of the Mediator complex in regulation of transcription elongation, termination, and processing of mRNAs and non-coding RNAs.

About the speaker

Dr Joan Conaway received her PhD in Cell Biology from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1987. She became a faculty member at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in 1989 and she was later appointed an Associate Investigator by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1997. She moved to Stowers Institute for Medical Research in 2001, and is currently an Investigator and the Helen Nelson Distinguished Chair. She is also a Professor (Affiliate) of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Dr Conaway and her long-time collaborator and husband, Dr Ronald Conaway, use biochemical and molecular genetic approaches to study molecular mechanisms that regulate eukaryotic transcription initiation and elongation.

The Conaways were co-recipients of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Amgen Award in 1997, and they were elected the Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002.

For attendees’ attention

		The lecture is free and open to all. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
		Light refreshments will be served from 3:30 to 4:00 pm.

HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study
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