2018 TGS Meeting Program

Texas Genetics Society 45th Annual Meeting
March 22-24, 2018
Rudder Tower, Texas A&M University
College Station, TX

Thursday, March 22
2:00-4:15 p.m. Registration/Board Meeting
4:15-4:30 p.m. Welcome and announcements – Sarah Canterberry, President

4:30-5:30 p.m. KEYNOTE ADDRESS
     Mechanisms of RNA polymerase II transcription
     Craig Kaplan, Ph.D.
     Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
     Texas A&M University
     *Reception to follow

Friday, March 23
7:00-8:00 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast
8:00-8:05 a.m. Announcements – Sarah Canterberry, President
8:05-9:00 a.m. INVITED LECTURE 1

     Chromatin-based mechanisms of genome maintenance in human cells
     Kyle Miller, Ph.D.
     Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences
     University of Texas at Austin

9:00-10:00 a.m. SESSION I- Genomics and Bioinformatics, Part A

9:00-9:20 a.m. Identifying heme importers & exporters through RNA seq analysis in Aedes aegypti
     Heather Eggleston, Texas A&M University

9:20-9:40 a.m. Somatic hypermutation of TcRα contributes to thymic positive selection in sharks
     Jeannine A. Ott, Texas A&M University

9:40-10:00 a.m. Hi-C and RNAseq analysis in the venom gland of a  rattlesnake illustrate theunique structure and function of microchromosomes and coordinated interaction of chromatin and specific transcription factors in regulation of venom expression.
     Nicole R. Hales, University of Texas at Arlington

10:00-10:30 a.m. Coffee break, poster and exhibit viewing

10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. SESSION 2- Genomics and Bioinformatics, Part B

10:30-10:50 a.m. Dr. Insight, a novel systematic drug repurposing method
     Jinyan Chan, Baylor University and Baylor Scott & White Research Institute

10:50-11:10 a.m. Bayesian data integration and variable selection for pan-cancer survival
prediction using protein expression data
     Arnab Kumar Maity, Texas A&M University

11:10 – 11:30 a.m. Genetic characterization of American Bison
     David Forgacs, Texas A&M University

11:30-12:30 p.m. Lunch

12:30-12:40pm Poster Teaser Session 1

12:40-2:20 p.m. SESSION 3- Genetics of Metabolism and Energy Homeostasis

12:40-1:00 p.m. Investigating the relationship between glycogen accumulation and calcium homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
     Sarah Smith, Austin College

1:00-1:20 p.m. Identification of gene-diet interactions related to carbohydrate sensitivity and evaluation of predictive value of response to diet in Collaborative Cross Recombinant F1 Hybrids
     Anna C. Salvador, Texas A&M University

1:20-1:40 p.m. Singleminded-2s: at the nexus of mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics
during mammary epithelial cell differentiation
     Jessica Elswood, Texas A&M University

1:40-2:00 p.m. Transcriptional comparisons of intestinal regenerative growth in multiple
snake species provide a new perspective on conserved vertebrate stress and
growth pathways that may direct intestinal regeneration
     Blair W. Perry, Texas A&M University

2:00-2:20 p.m. Digestive efficiency and gut-microbiome dynamics throughout reproduction in the Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis
     Oscar Sandate, Texas Tech University

2:20-2:30 p.m. Poster Teaser Session 2

2:30-3:40 p.m. POSTER SESSION
     2:30-3:00 p.m. Odd-numbered posters
     3:00-3:30 p.m. Even-numbered posters

3:40-4:40 p.m. INVITED LECTURE 2

Breaking new ground: canonical and non-canonical functions for telomere associated components in Arabidopsis
     Dorothy Shippen, Ph.D.
     Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
     Texas A&M University

4:40-6:00 p.m. SESSION 4- Genome Integrity and Cancer

4:40-5:00 p.m. Genetic analysis of Replication Protein A (RPA) paralogs reveals functional
specificity in telomere length set point regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana
     Behailu Aklilu, Texas A&M University

5:00-5:20 p.m. Novel ATM response element promotes genomic stability in breast cancer
     Scott Pearson, Texas A&M University

5:20-5:40 p.m. Progression of colorectal cancer through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-independent mechanisms
     Carolina Mantilla-Rojas, Texas A&M University

5:40-6:00 p.m. NOP2 and EMC8/9: New genes involved in telomere length set point in
Arabidopsis thaliana
     Callie Kobayashi, Texas A&M University

6:30-8:30 p.m. RECEPTION & BANQUET
     The Stables at Calvary Court, 200 Century Court, College Station, TX

     Barbara Bowman Award Recipient
     David Threadgill, Ph.D.
     Distinguished Professor, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical
          Sciences
     Texas A&M University

Saturday, April 29

7:30-8:30 a.m. Continental breakfast
8:30-8:35 a.m. Announcements – Sarah Canterberry, President

8:35-9:30 a.m. INVITED ADDRESS 3
     Somatic mutations in PIK3CA cause generalized lymphatic anomaly
     Michael Dellinger, Ph.D.
     Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology
     UT Southwestern Medical Center

9:30-10:30 a.m. SESSION 5- Genetic Evolution and Adaptation

9:30-9:50 a.m. In vivo action of molecular nanomachines increases mortality in eukaryotic species and destroys single cellular prokaryotes
     Ciceron Ayala-Orozco, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

9:50-10:10 a.m. Phenotypic variation of embryonic spacing in the mouse: elucidating the
genetic contribution
     Samantha Peeler-Fletcher, Texas A&M University

10:10-10:30 a.m. Piecing together 300 million years of wet-skin and slime: Low-coverage
sampling of amphibian genomes provides insight into ancestral tetrapod genome structure and evolution
     Richard H. Adams, University of Texas at Arlington

10:30-11:00 a.m. Coffee break and judges meeting
11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. General Business Meeting & Awards Presentation
12:00 p.m. Adjourn

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