>> *Dissertation Defense
>> To:  The George Mason University Community*
>>
>> *Candidate: Subashini R. Iyer
>> Program:    PhD Biosciences
>> *
>> *Date:   Wednesday September 21, 2011
>> Time:   1:30 p.m. 
>> Place:  George Mason University
>> ** 	     Occoquan Bldg., Room 110-A
>> 	     Prince William campus <http://www.gmu.edu/resources/visitors/findex.html>
>>   
>> *Dissertation Chair: Dr. Yuntao Wu
>> Committee members: Dr. Geraldine Grant, Dr. Karl Fryxell, Dr. Patrick Gillevet
>> *
>> Title: **"Role of HIV-1 Preintegration Transcription in the Viral Life Cycle"*
>>
>> *
>> *The dissertation is on reserve in the Johnson Center Library, Fairfax campus.
>> The doctoral project will not be read at the meeting, but should be read in advance. 
>> /**/
>> *All members of the George Mason University community are invited to attend.*
>>
>>
>> *ABSTRACT: *
>>   
>>
>> Preintegration transcription is an early process in HIV life-cycle. 
>> However, mechanistically, this process is poorly studied and 
>> understood. As such, the relationship between preintegration 
>> transcription and the subsequent steps of HIV replication cycle is 
>> unknown. My Ph.D thesis research addressees the source of 
>> preintegration transcription and the impact of this process on viral 
>> integration. Data from my research demonstrates that the unintegrated 
>> linear DNA, which is the precursor for viral integration, may 
>> constitute the major template for preintegration transcription. This 
>> result excludes a role of the minor DNA species, such as the 
>> 2-LTR-circles, as the likely template for preintegration 
>> transcription. This result also suggests a possible connection 
>> between viral preintegration transcription and subsequent DNA 
>> integration into the human genome, since both viral processes could 
>> involve the same DNA molecule. Indeed, further studies indicated a 
>> possible involvement of preintegration transcription in determining 
>> the pattern and site of HIV integration. My research thus paves the 
>> way for future investigation of the mechanistic linkage between HIV 
>> preintegration transcription and integration. 
>>
>> ###