Please join Yale Chemistry for a Thesis Seminar with Sabrina Grunseich, Strobel Lab.
Title: Investigating the Sequence Requirements for Translation Initiation by Viral Internal Ribosome Entry Sites
Summary: My dissertation focuses on relating the sequence of viral IRES elements to their role in initiating translation. The Cricket Paralysis Virus (CrPV) IRES is short, uses a simple mechanism, and can function in diverse cell-free systems making it a useful tool to study the mechanism of translation and to express proteins. I used a RelE-based next-generation sequencing method, termed SMARTI, to quantitatively determine the function of over 81,000 single and double mutants of CrPV IRES. I then applied this high-throughput method to two other IRES sequences, Pso IRES and HalV IRES, to determine which sequence elements are driving their unique binding abilities. In doing so, I produced quantitative ribosome binding data for 98,346 and 84,491 mutants respectively. The result of these studies is a comprehensive mutational database that serves as a consensus sequence-like analysis of IRES function.
Location: West Campus Conference Center Auditorium (800 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516)
