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Programme Overview
Wednesday 9 December 2015

9:30 - 10:00

Registration

10:00 - 10:10

Introduction

10:10 - 11.10

Session 1 - Short Talks

11.10 - 11.30

Coffee break in Atrium

11.30 - 12.30

Session 2
Basic Research Talk

12.30 - 13.30

Lunch in Atrium with

Poster Display

13.30 - 14.30

Session 3
Applied Research Talk

14.30 - 15.00

Coffee break in Atrium

with Poster Display

15.00 - 16.00

Session 4 - Short Talks

16.00 - 16.30

Closing Remarks and

Farewell

Session 1 - Short Talks

10:10 - 10:25 Stress-induced cell death
Karolina Pakos
10:25 - 10:40 USP9X controls DNA replication
fork stability and the replication
stress checkpoint through Claspin
Edel McGarry
10:40 - 10:55 Utilising transgenic technologies in
Hydractinia echinata to study stem
cell biology in-vivo
James Gahan
10:55 - 11:10 Mitochondrial ATP synthase Alpha and
Beta subunits are involved in
maintenance of chromosome pairing
and sister chromatid cohesion during
meiosis prophase I in male Drosophila
Melanogaster
Catriona Collins

Session 2 - Basic Research

11:30 - 12:30
microRNA mechanism and its involvement in the DNA
damage response pathway
Professor Martin Bushell, MRC Toxicology Unit, Leicester,
UK
The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has revolutionised the way in
which we view gene expression. In humans there are approximately
1000 miRNAs in the genome, each on average targeting ~200 different
mRNAs, with estimates suggesting that at least 60% of all protein
encoding mRNAs are controlled by miRNAs. Intensive analysis of
tissues from a large diverse set of human diseases has shown
dramatic alterations in the miRNAs profiles following disease onset.
Moreover, global changes in miRNA function either by, alterations in
the miRNA biogenesis pathways or changes in the target mRNAs
3UTR length have been observed in many disease setting.
Regardless of the disregulation mechanisms, miRNAs have been
shown to be sufficient and required for the development of a number of
diseases, particularly cancer. These small non-coding RNA molecules
inhibit gene expression by binding to complementary regions within
target mRNAs. It is well known that following engagement with the
target mRNA, miRNAs induce both the translation repression and
cause mRNA destabilisation of the targeted mRNA. However, the
exact mechanism by which these small RNA molecules control gene
expression has remained elusive. Here I will discuss our investigations
into how miRNAs control gene expression and show how the miRNA
biogenesis enzymes appear to have a second pivotal cellular function,
moonlighting in the DNA repair pathway.

Session 3 - Applied Research

13:30 - 14:30

Immunogenetics of atopic dermatitis: a tail of

mice and men.
Professor Padraic Fallon, Trinity College Dublin, ROI
This presentation will address translational bench-bedside -bench
research spanning the use of mouse models to studies on
patients. The incidences of a range of allergic diseases are on the
increase globally. These allergic diseases include atopic dermatitis
(AD; eczema) and asthma. AD develops initially in children and, in
the context of the atopy march, may subsequently progress to
asthma in some individuals. It is well defined that the development
of AD involves the interplay between genetic predisposition and
environmental conditions. In 10-20% of patients with AD the
condition is associated with loss-of function mutations in the
filaggrin (FLG) gene. Furthermore, patients with FLG mutations
are highly predisposed to develop AD and secondly progress to
AD-associated asthma. We have previously utilized a the dual
flaky tail (ft) and matted (ma) mutant strain, the so called flaky tail
strain first phenotypically described in 1950s, to identify a loss-offunction
mutation
in
murine Flg. Filaggrin-deficient
mice
spontaneous develop atopy and AD-like inflammation and
eosinophilic esophagitis with the subsequent progression to
compromised pulmonary function with age, reflecting the atopic
march in patients with AD. In addition, we have identified the
unknown ma gene, we have termed Matt, that causes the matted
phenotype present in flaky tail mice. In patients with AD, a SNP
was identified inMATT that was associated with AD. Insight from
translational studies on the immunogenetics of skin inflammation
will be presented.

Session 4 - Short Talks

15:00 - 15:15 Molecular determinants of CAG repeat

expansions in Huntingtons disease
Norma Keogh
15:15 - 15:30 Chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem
cells and induced pluripotent stem cells
reveals the cellular pathology of familial
osteochondritis dissecans.
Maoija Xu
15:30 - 15:45 SoxbI-Hdac2 crosstalk regulates
neurogenesis in tissue homeostasis
and regeneration
Hakima Flici
15:45 - 16:00 Case Study of Juvenile
Osteochondritis Dissecans
Towards Personalized Medicine
Giuliana Salazar Noratto

Poster Presentations
1.

Investigating the role of loss of hMOF in breast cancer

invasion and metastasis

Karen Lane

2.

A role for membrane associated RING CH proteins

in the degradation of haemochromatosis causing

HFE- C282Y

Bryan Savage

3.

Effects of hypoxia on the radio-resistance of mouse

mesenchymal stromal cells and thymic epithelial

cells

Irene Calvo Asensio

4.

ZC3H11A modulates homologous recombination

Marta Baldascini

5.

A study of genes that function in the centrosome for

involvement in the aetiology of schizophrenia and

associated cognitive deficits

Maraid Flynn

6.

Cognitive analysis of schizophrenia risk genes:

focus on genes with epigenetic function

Laura Whitton

7.

Understanding factors involved in maintaining

centromere integrity during male meiosis in

Drosophila melanogaster

Lucretia Kwenda

8.

H2B variants in Hydractinia echinata

Anna Trk

9.

Effect of non-histone chromatin proteins on

nucleosome structure and stability

Martin Browne

10. Oligodendrocyte loss in hippocampal slice
culture model of iron accumulation

Sinead Healy

11. Investigation of hMSL2 ubiquitylation and its role

in the DNA damage response

Anna Meller

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