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Professor Karen Avraham, Tel Aviv University presents this seminar.
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 17-24 nucleotide-long non-coding RNAs processed from transcripts of endogenous genes that function through the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. miRNAs regulate gene expression by inducing degradation of mRNA of target genes and by inhibiting translation. In addition to down-regulating mRNA levels, miRNAs directly repress translation of genes. Their relevance to the inner ear has recently been emphasized by the discovery of miRNA mutations leading to deafness in humans and mice. Dicer1, required for production of mature and functional miRNAs, was conditionally knocked-out in the sensory epithelia of the mouse inner ear, to study the roles of miRNAs in these tissues. We identified miRNAs that may have a role in the mouse developing inner ear by combining miRNA transcriptome analysis and bioinformatics. Morpholino experiments in zebrafish demonstrated abnormalities in inner ear development and/or structure. Our data support the hypothesis that inner ear tissue differentiation and maintenance are regulated and controlled by conserved sets of cell-specific miRNAs in vertebrates.
Biography: Karen Avraham is Full Professor at the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University and Director of the Tel Aviv University Center for Middle Eastern Genetic Diseases. Born in Canada and raised in the US, Prof. Avraham received her BA from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA and went on to do her PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Her doctoral thesis focused on the development of a model for Down syndrome. She performed her postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland, USA in mammalian genetics.
Her first breakthrough in the field of hereditary impairment came in 1995, when she discovered a gene for deafness in a model for this sensory defect in humans. Since joining the faculty at Tel Aviv University in 1996, Prof. Avraham’s work has centered on the discovery of disease genes, focusing on hereditary hearing loss. Her team uses a multidisciplinary approach, using genetic, developmental, biochemical, cellular and bioinformatic tools to decipher the molecular basis of hearing loss. Prof. Avraham is leading the field in elucidating mechanisms by which mutations lead to auditory and vestibular dysfunction, using state-of-the-art technology. The tools acquired in studying the genes involved in deafness, and deciphering their regulation, are now being used in the Avraham laboratory for the development of therapeutic techniques for the treatment of hearing impairment.
Prof. Avraham has mentored over 50 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and published over 90 manuscripts in high profile journals such as Science, Nature Genetics and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She is an elected member of EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization, and the international Collegium ORLAS, limited to 10 scientists and physicians per country who have contributed to research in otolaryngology. She has received the Burt Evans Young Investigator Award, the Sir Bernard Katz Prize, and the Bruno Memorial Award from the Rothschild Foundation. She is Associate Editor of the journals JARO, EMBO Molecular Medicine, and the European Journal of Human Genetics. Prof. Avraham is currently President-Elect of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO), an international organization based in the US.
Prof. Avraham’s team is highly active within the community and is on the board of ‘Na Lagaat’ (‘Do Touch’), a theatre group made up of deaf and blind actors. She is actively involved in providing education about the genetics of hearing loss to deaf support groups and associations and training of hearing impaired graduate students at Tel Aviv University.