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Research Description My laboratory is interested in the relationship of DNA repair to cell physiology and carcinogenesis. We study the process of DNA repair by cloning the genes of specific enzymes involved in the repair of oxidative damage of DNA and base excision repair, expressing the proteins in a heterologous system and characterizing their function. We focus on human apurinic endonuclease (AP endo). The availability of large quantities of the enzyme make detailed structure/function studies possible. Currently we are exploring a novel mechanism of catalysis in which a tyrosine in the active site is the residue that cleaves the DNA backbone 5' to the abasic site. We also use the zebrafish as a model organism to study the role of AP endo in develpment. All of these studies are aimed at understanding the physiological relevance of a key enzyme that participates in repair of oxidatively damaged DNA. |
Ph.D., The Rockefeller University Research Areas: Email: p.strauss@neu.edu
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