Monday, October 4, 1999
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Evolution subject of first Georgia Genetics symposium
By Phil Williams

Transposable elements are the Stealth Fighters of the microbial world. Until the 1970s, scientists thought these pieces of traveling genetic material were simply pieces of “selfish” DNA that roamed around the cellular world. Now researchers know that these elements have a crucial role in the functioning of plants and animals and may play a key role in evolution.
A gathering of top national and international scientists at UGA this week will explore the relationship between transposable elements and evolution, according to John McDonald, head of the department of genetics.
“Scientists initially thought that transposable elements were only parasitic sequences of DNA,” says McDonald, organizer of the symposium. “But there is growing evidence that TEs are major players contributing to genome structure and function.”
Georgia Genetics Symposium I will be held at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Oct. 8-10. UGA faculty, staff and students can attend sessions free.
Thirteen speakers will present papers on two topics: mechanisms and dynamics of transposable-element evolution and the impact of TEs on host genome evolution. A number of the speakers are members of the National Academy of Sciences, including Mary Lou Pardue of MIT, Roy Britten of Cal Tech, Margaret Kidwell of the University of Arizona and Susan Wessler from UGA.
Speakers are also coming from Harvard, Columbia, the University of Vienna and the Institute of Molecular Biology in Salzburg, Austria.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about attending the symposium, call 542-8000 or visit the department of genetics Web site at: http://www.genetics.uga.edu/symposium.html
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