Cologne Seminars on Ageing "Molecular functions of the nuclear lamina in cell aging & senescence"

About Dr. Dreesen's talk:

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria (HGPS) is a premature aging syndrome caused by aberrant splicing of LMNA that results in a truncated and permanently farnesylated and membrane-tethered form of lamin A, called progerin. Patients exhibit characteristics of premature aging, including early onset alopecia, skin thinning, altered pigmentation, lipodystrophy, and die in their mid-teens due to cardiovascular complications. Our goal is to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) that accelerate aging in progeria and understand its relevance to normal aging. To achieve this, we are using cell-based models (fibroblasts, iPSC) and doxycycline (DOX)-inducible expression systems. During these studies, we also identified and characterized nuclear lamina remodeling, including the degradation of lamin B1, as a hallmark to detect senescent cell types in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these results provide evidence for a mechanistic link between the nuclear envelope, chromatin structure and telomeres, that is disrupted in progeria and possibly normal human aging.

This event is aimed at a specialist audience.