UF faculty member keynote speaker at international research meeting

Thomas W. O’Brien, a University of Florida professor in the College of Medicine’s biochemistry and molecular biology department, served as keynote speaker at a recent international scientific meeting in Japan.

O’Brien reported research findings from his laboratory regarding the structure and function of mammalian mitochondrial ribosomes. A ribosome is a cellular site where RNA messages are translated into proteins. A small percentage of ribosomes are located in the mitochondria, the parts of the cell where metabolic energy is generated. Mutations in proteins essential for mitochondrial ribosome function may be responsible for a variety of mild to severe genetic disorders, including dwarfism, deafness, and neural and neuromuscular disorders.

O’Brien, who discovered mitochondrial ribosomes in the 1960s, spoke Jan. 23 at the 3rd International Organized Research Combination System Symposium on Ribosome Engineering. He is affiliated with UF’s Genetics Institute.