Date & Time

Time: 2:00-3:00pm (CST), Apr. 14th

Location: IB 3106(Preferred)

Zoom ID: 715 337 7467 

*Light refreshments will be provided.

Speaker:

Prof. Jeong Park

Senior associate professor from the Department of Biological Science,

Director of the Undergraduate Bio Program

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Bio:

Dr. Park earned a Ph.D. degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA. He investigated a critical epigenetic enzyme complex in cancer development at Princeton University and Rockefeller University, using the model transcription factors Myc oncogene and p53 tumor suppressor. He worked as a senior lecturer at Massey University, a national university of New Zealand, in the area of mammalian biochemistry. Starting in 2020, he joined XJTLU as a senior associate professor in the Department of Biological Science and also as the Program Director of the Undergraduate Bio Program. His group is investigating an epigenetic protein complex in cancer development, as well as nanofiber-based cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Abstract:

Mitochondrial biogenesis is crucial for the fast growth of cancer cells. In parallel, nuclear-encoded mitochondrial ribosomal proteins are highly expressed in cancer, where the insertion of H2A.Z, a histone variant, at the target genes plays a critical role in gene activation. EP400 is an epigenetic enzyme that has been implicated in H2A.Z insertion and transcription regulation. Here, I will present recent progress on EP400NL, a pseudogene-like variant gene that evolved from EP400 and participates in H2A.Z histone exchange and upregulation of Myc target genes. Additionally, I will introduce a potential application of a peptide display platform using synthetic nanofibers for peptide vaccines, PD-L1 biomarker diagnostics, and DNA vaccine delivery.