Abstract: The growth and reproduction of all living organisms are dependent on the cell cycle, the process which leads to cell division.  Uncontrolled division of cells is important for disease particularly cancer.  Two events, S-phase and mitosis, are common to all cell cycles and are necessary for the two newly divided cells to receive a full complement of genes.  In fission yeast the onset of S-phase and mitosis are controlled by a single cyclin dependent kinase with different levels of CDK activity bringing about progression through the cell cycle in an ordered fashion.  Activation of CDK activity is determined by growth rate and cell size, with cell size determined by a gradient mechanism with controlling molecules diffusing from the periphery of the cell to be sensed in the middle of the cell.

Paul Nurse shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, with Leland H. Hartwell and R. Timothy Hunt, for identifying CDK as the key regulator molecule controlling the process by which cells make copies of themselves. This discovery is important for understanding the development and growth of cancer. In addition to the Nobel Prize, Nurse has won the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, as well as numerous other awards and medals. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S. In 1999, he was honored with knighthood in Great Britain for services to cancer research and cell biology.

Please Note: Dr. Nurse's seminar is free and open to the campus community. No reservations are required, but please note that space is limited and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.