Peter Stadler

title: Most human long non-coding RNAs are evolutionary old  

 

Abstract: 

Large-scale RNA sequencing has revealed a large number of long mRNA-like  transcripts (lncRNAs) that do not code for proteins. The evolutionary  history of these lncRNAs has been notoriously hard to study systematically due to their low level of sequence conservation that  precludes comprehensive  homology-based surveys and makes them nearly  impossible to align. An increasing number of special cases, however, has  been shown to be at least as old as the vertebrate lineage. Here we use  the conservation of splice sites to trace the evolution of lncRNAs.
We show that more than 85% of the human GENCODE lncRNAs were already present at the divergence of placental mammals and many hundreds  of these RNAs date back even further. Nevertheless, we observe a fast  turnover of intron/exon structures.
We conclude that lncRNA genes are  evolutionary ancient components of vertebrate genomes that show an  unexpected and unprecedented evolutionary plasticity.
This rapid  turnover pausible contributes to rapid lineage-specific adaptations. 
I also appears to be relevant to emergence of human-specific diseases  such as Alzheimer's Disease and possibly other psychiatric disorders.

Biography:

Full Professor of Bioinformatics. (Lehrstuhl für Bioinformatik)
Member of the board of the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics and the BBZ -Biocity in Leipzig.
University of Vienna, 1991-10 - 2002-10

Title Ausserordentlicher
Universitätsprofessor since 1997-10-01.
Habilitation: Venia Legendi for Theoretical Chemistry 1994-03-16. (tenure)
1991-1994 Universitaetsassistent at the Institute for Theoretical Chemistry and Radiation
Chemistry.
Max Planck Institute for Bio-Physical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany 1990- 07 - 1991-09
Post-Doc with Prof. Manfred Eigen at the Department for Biochemical Kinetics
Studies at the University of Vienna, 1984-10 - 1990-06
PhD in Chemistry 1990, MSc in Chemistry 1988, undergraduate degrees (1. Diplom) in Mathematics 1990, Physics 1989, Astronomy 1988, Chemistry 1986.

Functions and Awards
Member of the External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute, New Mexico, since 1994-2003,
and since 2004.
Novartis-Award for Chemisty (Austria) 2002.
Otto-Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society 1992.
Co-Managing Editor of Theory in Biosciences since 2004, Member of the Editorial Board of J. Experimental Zoology, MDE since 2004.
Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Complex Systems June 1999-Dec 2006, Member of the Editorial Board since 2007
Member of the Board of the Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ) of the Univ. of Leipzig, since 2003.
Member of the Board of the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig, since 2002.
Member of the Board of the Chemisch Physikalische Gesellschaft in Wien, elected for the periods 2000/2001 and 2001/2002.
Member of the HGNC International Advisory Committee (2000) Corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2010 2013-02-05


 

 

 

 


Welcome

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
Copyright © 2015 Third International Conference On Advances In Biomedical Engineering