Time：10:00-11:30 AM，Fri., Aug. 12，2022

    Host：Dr. Hongtao Yu, Chair professor, School of Life Sciences

    Venue：Room E9-109, Yungu Campus

Speaker:

Dr. Haifeng Wang, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University

Haifeng Wang carried out her Ph.D work in biochemistry, molecular, cellular and developmental biology at University of California, Davis, CA, where she studied the mechanism of anaphase B chromosome segregation during mitosis, focusing on the cooperation between mitotic motors and microtubule dynamics. After that, Wang completed postdoctoral research in Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University, where she developed CRISPR-based tools to study spatiotemporal genome organization, including the CRISPR-Genome organization (GO) platform for programmable control of spatial genome organization (Cell, 2018) and the CRISPR LiveFISH platform for DNA and RNA imaging in living cells (Science, 2019). She also wrote reviews on CRISPR technologies (Annu. Rev. Biochem.,2016) and its applications in 3D genome research (Nat. Rev. Genet.,2021).

Wang moved to School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University as an assistant professor in 2021. She also works as an independent PI in Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences. She is enthusiastic about applying bioengineering tools to investigate complex biological mechanisms. In the post-genomic era, elucidating the function and control of 3D chromatin structure and organization, and its relationship with various nuclear compartments has been a central goal in genomics and cell biology. Building on her experiences in cell biology and bioengineering, Wang is particularly interested in developing and applying CRISPR toolkits to study the function and control of 3D genome organization and transcriptomedynamics during development and disease.

Abstract:

The CRISPR techniques provide powerful toolkits for us to probe 3D genome structure, function and dynamics. We developed the CRISPR-Genome Organization (CRISPR-GO) platform for programmable control of spatial genome organization, and the CRISPR live-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization (LiveFISH) platform for DNA and RNA live-cell imaging.

The CRISPR-GO system can efficiently control the spatial positioning of genomic loci relative to specific nuclear compartments in the nucleus, including the nuclear periphery, Cajal bodies, promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies and heterochromatin. Built on an intrinsic stability switch of CRISPR guide RNAs, CRISPR LiveFISH uses fluorescent oligonucleotides for DNA and RNA tracking in a broad range of cell types, including primary cells. LiveFISH tracks the real-time movement of DNA double-strand breaks induced by CRISPR-Cas9-mediated editing and consequent endogenous chromosome translocations. In addition, by combining Cas9 and Cas13 systems, LiveFISH allows for simultaneous visualization of genomic DNA and RNA transcripts in living cells. Thus, the CRISPR LiveFISH enables real-time live imaging of DNA and RNA dynamics during genome editing, transcription, and rearrangements in single cells.

Contact：

Wenyue Yu: yuwenyue@westlake.edu.cn

School of Life Sciences