Gernot Wolf: Targeting and restricting genomic viral parasites by the host’s cellular defence mechanisms

Retroviruses are able to stably integrate their genome into the DNA of infected cells. If retroviral integration takes place in cells of the germ line, the retrovirus may become a part of the host genome and be inherited from generation to generation as a genomic parasite. These endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) constitute a large proportion of mammalian genomes and can severely disturb the genomic and cellular functions of their hosts. Recent studies suggested that at least some of the several hundreds of mammalian KRAB zinc finger proteins (KRAB-ZFPs) – a large family of DNA-binding transcription factors – have evolved to recognise and restrict ERVs in a target-specific manner.

During his PhD studies, Gernot Wolf investigated evolutionary and mechanistic aspects of epigenetic ERV restriction in various mammalian species. His studies included genome-wide transcription factor binding analysis using next-generation sequencing technology and the generation of a knock-out mouse model to study the in vivo functions of an ERV targeting KRAB-ZFP.

The new research findings contribute to the understanding of how ERVs are recognised and controlled by host restriction factors, and they describe a novel mechanism by which ERVs can change the expression profile of host genes.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

Time: Thursday 7 March 2013 at 14.00
Place: Lecture Theatre G2, building 1532, room 122, Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University
Title of dissertation: Target-specific epigenetic silencing of endogenous retroviruses in mammals
Contact information: Gernot Wolf, gwolf@mb.au.dk, +45 6041 5807
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Anders H. Lund, Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen
Professor Christine Leib-Mösch, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Germany
Associate Professor Bjarne Juul Bonven (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Professor Finn Skou Pedersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Co-supervisor:
Professor Anders Lade Nielsen, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University
Language: The dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C.