Talk by Dr. Lucas Pontel
Endogenous formaldehyde: a stem cell genotoxin and metabolic carcinogen in mammals
- Date: Jan 30, 2017
- Time: 02:00 PM c.t. - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Dr. Lucas Pontel
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology MRC, Cambridge, UK and MP-Research Group Leader at IBioBA-MPSP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Location: MPI for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Köln
- Room: Seminar room 1
- Host: Prof. Jens Brüning
- Contact: ismene.karakasilioti@sf.mpg.de
Formaldehyde is a highly reactive chemical used as a preservative and also in many industrial processes. In our cells, this aldehyde is generated as a by-product of several essential biochemical pathways. This ‘endogenous’ formaldehyde is very reactive and can damage proteins and DNA resulting in lethal toxicity. Therefore, cells harbour two protective barriers: the formaldehyde-detoxifying enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase 5 (Adh5) and the Fanconi Anemia DNA repair pathway. The simultaneous inactivation of these two systems leads to haematopoietic stem cell attrition, kidney and liver dysfunction, and development of cancer in mice. My work aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that counteract unwanted consequences of essential metabolism.