PhD students participating in August Krogh seminars receive 0,2 ECTS per seminar
AKC Double Seminar: Small things, big impact: Small noncoding RNAs in human (patho)physiology
Professor Louise Torp Dalgaard
August Krogh Club Double Seminar
14:00-14:45: Louise Torp Dalgaard: "Circulating and cellular microRNAs involved in metabolic disease”.
14:45-15:30: Yaël Nossent: ”The epitranscriptome; Small noncoding RNAs and their modifications in cardiovascular health and disease”.
15:30-16:30: Post seminar servings and socializing.
Circulating and cellular microRNAs involved in metabolic disease
Professor Louise Torp Dalgaard, Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.
Abstract
Most of the RNA-species made by our cells do not code for proteins. In metabolic disease, dysregulated expression of non-coding RNAs contribute to disease development, but function and role of non-coding RNAs in metabolic disease lacks characterization. Cellular stressors, such nutrition overload and insulin resistance have been linked with increased and changed release of small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs, from cells to the circulation.
Major challenges in this research area are to identify how patient phenotypes relate to the composition of RNA-species in the circulation, as well as to characterize how these RNA-species act at their site of expression as well as identify if or how these may function as short- and long-range messengers between cells and tissues.
I will present recent data on relationships between circulating microRNAs and prediabetic states. Moreover, I will cover possible mechanisms by which selected microRNAs cause cellular dysfunction. Finally, I will discuss how secreted RNAs may cause short- and long-range signaling in metabolic disease.
Research Profile
Louise Torp Dalgaard is Professor of Molecular Metabolism at the Department of Science and Environment at Roskilde University, Denmark. Dr. Dalgaard obtained her PhD in Biomedicine in 2001 from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She then went for post-doctoral training in the lab of Brad Lowell, Endocrine Division of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA, from 2001-2003 supported by the Danish Independent Research Council for Medical Sciences. Returning to Denmark, she was an Independent Research Council supported Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Copenhagen.
From 2007 she took up a post as Associate Professor in Medical Biology at Roskilde University, in 2017 promoted to Professor (MSO) of Medical Biology, and from 2022 full Professor. She is a member of the Academic Council at Roskilde University and of the Education Committee of the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Committee. She was organizer of the Danish Diabetes Academy Symposia: MicroRNAs in Metabolism, 2015, Denmark, Non-coding RNAs in Metabolic Disease, 2019 and RNA Mechanisms and Therapeutics in Metabolic Disease, 2021 and she is a partner of the Center for RNA Therapeutics Towards Metabolic Disease (RNA-META).
Dr. Dalgaard has focus on mechanisms of the action of microRNAs and the use of microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs as biomarkers for improved classification of complex disease. The primary research aims to uncover how non-coding RNAs are involved in mediating nutrient-induced stress responses in endocrinology.
As RNAs are released to the circulation, the Dalgaard group works towards identifying novel RNA-based biomarkers to aid diagnosis and prognosis of metabolic disease and risk of diabetes in susceptible individuals, such as pregnant women at risk for gestational diabetes or women with PCOS. The Dalgaard group further aims to characterize how non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs regulate cellular metabolism and mitochondrial function, and the function of pancreatic β-cells.
Literature
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36645666/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35704699/
Venue
Auditorium 1, August Krogh Building, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen
Registration
Participation is free, but please register here.
For PhD students
PhD students participating in August Krogh seminars receive 0,2 ECTS per seminar
Contact
Kate Aiko Wickham, kawi@nexs.ku.dk
Jens Frey Halling, jefh@nexs.ku.dk
