Description:

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Departmental Seminar Series presents:

David Pellman, MD
Margaret M. Dyson Professor of Pediatric Oncology and Professor of Cell Biology
Harvard Medical School
Principal Investigator, Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute 

Chromosome segregation errors in cancer result in abnormal nuclear architecture, a phenomenon known as know nuclear atypia. Micronuclei are one feature of nuclear atypia. We recently demonstrated that micronuclei are the origin of a novel mutational process called chromothripsis. Chromothripsis is massive chromosome rearrangement limited to one or a few chromosomes. The chromosome damage from micronuclei appears to occur secondary to spontaneous nuclear envelope disruption. I will discuss chromothripsis and present a new model explaining the basis for the nuclear envelope fragility of the micronuclei.