MSL Seminar Series: September– Invited Speaker, Dr. Stephen Michnick

Invited Speaker: Dr. Stephen Michnick: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine – Université de Montréal

This seminar will be presented in a hybrid format. Audience members are welcome to attend either in person at the MSL lecture theatre (room 102) or via the zoom link. Those connecting via zoom will be able to ask questions during the Q&A portion using the chat function.

Zoom registration link: 
https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5clfu-trzIrHtFTnkHCogY-0DURBn981jlE

Talk title
Protein network dynamics reveal molecular mechanisms of environmental and genetic variation

Abstract
The interplay of environment and genome on the traits of an organism are reflected in how variations in either act on the biochemical networks that underlie all cellular processes. Current evidence suggests that predicting how environmental or genome variation affect specific cellular processes is most accurately determined by their effects on biochemical networks of the cell. It is impossible to measure, let alone predict, how entire molecular networks function, but we can choose useful surrogates of the network to act as reporters, such as protein interaction networks (PINs). We have developed general strategies to measure spatiotemporal dynamics of PINs in living cells at whole proteome scales and for smaller subsets of interactions, response to environmental perturbations and to map novel biochemical pathways and predict genes associated with human diseases. I will present a simple and global strategy to map out gene functions and target pathways of drugs, toxins, or protein biologics that captures the integrated fate of a gene following a genetic or environmental perturbation, from transcription to protein to post-translational modification. I will then present recent developments of methods to measure and manipulate proteins, their abundances, and both abundance and protein-protein interaction stoichiometries, at a proteome-wide level and in any cell lines. These are allowing us to decipher mechanisms of action of biologics, and drugs and gene variations, on biochemical processes. They are also revealing details about the thermodynamics of PINs, providing insights into passive and active origins of energy and information propagation in living cells.