EBS Seminar - Post Genomic Insights into Nutrient Stress and Genome Integrity

Dr. Jade Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She also has joint faculty appointments in the Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dept. of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, and the Program in Cell & Molecular Biology. She is also Co-Director of the Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology.

She has been the recipient of several major awards while at Baylor, including the Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. Excellence in Research Award; The American Society for Microbiology Branch Lectureships; the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award; and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award.

Dr. Wang received her B.Sc. degree from McGill University; her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco; and was a Postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Research: Accurate DNA replication is essential for the survival and fitness of all organisms. The goal of her research is to characterize the multifaceted interface between DNA replication and other cellular processes. Through this interface, replication responds readily to metabolic and external cues; conversely, cells monitor the replication status and respond accordingly. Components of this interface are likely to play paramount roles in the maintenance of genome stability and prevention of genetic diseases and cancer. Because replication mechanisms are conserved across all of life, her work in bacteria is a broadly applicable model, focused on three major directions:

- Prevention of transcription/replication conflict
- The interface between DNA replication and the cellular environment
- The physiological role of the nucleotide (p)ppGpp in stress response