Karoline Kragh Ebbesen: Circular RNAs – an enigmatic regulator of gene expression
PhD defence, Thursday 9 January 2020, Karoline Kragh Ebbesen.
RNA is a molecule that carries out essential functions in our cells. The majority of RNAs are linear. However, recently a novel subset of RNAs that are circular rather than linear was discovered. Thousands of circular RNAs are present in our tissues, but we have a very limited understanding of the biological relevance of these unusually stable RNA molecules. During her PhD studies, Karoline studied how a small subset of candidate circular RNAs are produced and how they function in mammalian cells. She found that production of circular RNAs is regulated by elements close to the circularizing region and that circular RNAs can regulate expression of specific genes in the cell. These new research findings contribute the understanding of how circular RNAs are formed and how they act.
The PhD degree was completed at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.
This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.
Time: Thursday, 9 January 2020 at 13:15
Place: Eduard Biermann Auditorium, Lake Side Auditorium (Building 1252, room 204), Aarhus University
Title of PhD thesis: Biogenesis and function of circular RNAs
Contact information: Karoline Kragh Ebbesen, e-mail: ke@inano.au.dk, tel.: +45 22237153
Members of the assessment committee:
Assistant Professor Jeremy E. Wilusz, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, USA
Associate Professor Jan Christiansen, Department of Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate Professor Ken Howard, iNANO, Aarhus University (chair)
Main supervisor:
Professor Jørgen Kjems, iNANO and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Co-supervisor:
Assistant Professor Thomas Hansen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English
The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.