Literature Mastery Seminar: Eyouab Tadesse and Jacob Gomez, MS Students

Join us as Master of Science in Applied Life Sciences students Eyouab Tadesse and Jacob Gomez speak about exploring the mechanism of calreticulin activation of the thrombopoietin receptor in myeloproliferative neoplasia.

“Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are a type of hematologic cancer that are a consequence of the constitutive activation of the Janus kinase (Jak) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) cytokine signaling pathway. Normally, this pathway is activated when the cytokine glycoprotein hormone thrombopoietin (TPO) binds to the myeloproliferative leukemia protein receptor (MPL). It has previously been found that mutations in either Jak, STAT or MPL lead to MPN however one significant finding is that an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone protein calreticulin (CALR) also plays a part in myeloproliferative diseases because when it is mutated, it preferentially interacts with MPL activating the Jak/STAT pathway resulting in cytokine-independent proliferation and thus MPN. CALR is not normally a direct member of the cytokine signaling pathway and it is still unclear exactly where its interaction with MPL takes place, whether it be intercellular or extracellular. Both of our studies are aimed at understanding this concept further. We will be generating different mutations in MPL and testing if we still get cytokine-independent proliferation when both of our MPL mutants and CALR mutants are introduced into the same cells.”

Friday, December 7, 2018 at 12:00 p.m.
Building 517, 138 Classroom

A sandwich lunch will be provided. Please RSVP below so that we may ensure all attendees are accounted for.