tlgm seminar announcement - dr janine kruit...
TRANSCRIPT
Seminar Announcement -‐All Are Welcome-‐
Speaker : Dr Janine Kruit Department of Paediatrics University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Title : Ageing, DNA damage and diabetes; is there a link?
Date : 28 Feb 2017 (Tuesday)
Time : 11.00am – 12.00pm
Venue : Creation @ MATRIX, Level 4
Host : Dr Roshni Singaraja
(Tel: 64074382; e-‐mail: [email protected]‐star.edu.sg)
Abstract of the Seminar: Pancreatic beta cells regulate glucose homeostasis by secreting insulin in response to metabolic demands. Beta cell dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) -‐ the most common metabolic disease worldwide. Ageing is a major risk factor for T2D, however, the mechanism underlying this relation is poorly understood. Inherited defects in DNA repair cause segmental (tissue-‐specific) aging or progeroid syndromes due to accumulation of DNA damage. To understand the relation between aging, DNA damage and diabetes development, we studied the impact of systemic and tissue-‐specific genetic depletion of the DNA repair enzyme ERCC1-‐XPF on glucose homeostasis in mice. Our data reveal a role for endogenous DNA damage in the etiology of diabetes. We have developed a novel murine model of type 2 diabetes that could be used for rapid testing of therapeutic interventions.
About the Speaker: Janine Kruit received her PhD from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands in 2006 on the role of the intestine in HDL metabolism. She then moved to the Hayden laboratory in Vancouver to study the role of cholesterol in pancreatic islet function. Since March 2014, she is a junior group leader at the department of Paediatrics at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands. The general aim of her research is to understand molecular mechanisms that lead to β-‐cell dysfunction in vivo with the ultimate goal to develop strategies to improve β -‐cell function in diabetes. She uses transgenic mouse models and cell systems to perform in-‐depth analysis of systemic physiology, cellular biochemistry, intracellular signal transduction and transcriptional regulation. Her latest research focuses on the role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of diabetes.