Objective
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most hazardous type of DNA damage threatening genomic stability. Thus, eukaryotes developed different mechanisms of DNA damage response and DNA repair pathways which are highly conserved, but not fully understood. To keep a control between error-prone (Non-Homologous End-Joining, NHEJ) and high-fidelity (Homologous Recombination, HR) mechanisms of DSB repair is essential for cell fitness, mainly exerted at the level of licensing HR by the initial step of the pathway known as DNA end resection. Therefore, a full study of this step is essential to understand genetic diseases, as cancer, with a high potential to direct future therapeutic strategies.
Cohesin complexes are high conserved factors with several roles in preventing genome instability. Cohesin are a tripartite structure ring-like where only the kleisin subunit differ, the meiosis-specific Rec8 kleisin substitutes its mitotic counterpart Rad21/Scc1. It has been described roles for cohesin in chromosome segregation and DNA repair, but as short, all based in providing close proximity of sister chromatids. But little it’s known about an active function in DNA repair further tethering DNA molecules, e. g. participating in the decision of NHEJ/HR pathway, mediating early DNA resection, or targeting other repair proteins to damage sites regulating the DNA damage response, all aims of this proposal.
We will combine the expertise of the applicant in cohesin in nematodes and the host laboratory in DNA repair to shed light and compare the active contribution in DNA repair of the SCC-1- and REC-8-cohesin complexes. The use of Caenorhabditis elegans as model system will provide a portal to the study of systemic DNA damage response mechanisms in a tissue- specific way, here the mitotically proliferating undifferentiated germ cells, of great interest for the host lab.
Field of science
- /natural sciences/biological sciences/genetics and heredity/dna
Programme(s)
Call for proposal
H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
41004 Sevilla
Spain
