Seminars

Speaker: Lene Juel Rasmussen, Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

The pursuit of understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying human longevity has emerged as a central focus in biomedical research, driven by the challenges posed by an aging global population. In this presentation, I will explore recent advancements in the identification and characterization of human longevity genes, shedding light on the complex interplay between genetic factors and lifespan regulation.

The discussion will center on the functional analysis of a newly discovered longevity gene OSER1. Our findings provide valuable insights into the gene's role in fundamental cellular processes, including oxidative stress response, cellular senescence, and mitochondrial function. Additionally, I will highlight the potential therapeutic implications of this research, emphasizing innovative strategies and interventions designed to modulate the expression or activity of longevity genes. These approaches hold promise for promoting healthy aging and delaying the onset of age-related diseases.

Speaker: Mark O. Huising, Professor, University of California, Davis

Dr. Huising is a Professor at the University of California Davis where he leads a lab focused on the important role of intra-islet feedback on the regulation of islet fate and function. He completed his formal undergraduate and graduate education in his native the Netherlands after moving to California to train as a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute with Wylie Vale. It was there that he laid the foundation for his current research program that has focused on local crosstalk between different endocrine cells in pancreatic islets. Mark discovered the function of the peptide hormone Ucn3 as the principal paracrine factor to activate pancreatic delta cells – feedback that determines the glucose setpoint in vivo. This discovery has led to a broad focus on pancreatic delta cells and their physiological contribution to glucose homeostasis in response to a variety of physiological and metabolic cues including ghrelin and ligands for the FFAR4 fatty acid receptor. In a separate line of research, Mark discovered an entirely new beta cell type that lacks key maturity markers including Ucn3 and Glut2 that had gone unnoticed for decades. This discovery highlights the heterogeneity that exists among beta cells that betrays beta cell plasticity that is amplified under conditions of beta cell stress during diabetes. Research from Mark's lab uses a combination of carefully validated mouse models with sophisticated live imaging experiment to observe the kinetics of multiple signaling cascades directly in intact islets in real time to quantify the changes in signaling dynamics that underly the regulation of insulin and glucagon release. Mark is an AAAS fellow, a UC Davis Chancellor's fellow and the recipient of a 2023 UC Davis Graduate Mentoring Award. Mark has dedicated his service commitment to climate advocacy on the University of California Davis campus and beyond, for which he was awarded the 2021 UC Davis Faculty Sustainability Champion.