Biology Seminar - Itai Yanai

"Can a cell learn? A mechanism for adaptive genome regulation"

In this seminar, I will describe my lab's research on cellular adaptation in cancer as a dynamic, exploratory process rather than a ‘hardwired' program. I will highlight key properties of the AP-1 family of transcription factors, including stress-induced feedback, regulatory combinatorics, and cellular memory, and argue that together this system constitutes a molecular framework for establishing fitter cellular states. Finally, I will discuss the implications of adaptive genome regulation in cancer progression and its potentially broad relevance across other cellular contexts.