Suo research enhances our understanding of how DNA repairs itself
Research led by Eminent Professor Zucai Suo into how damaged DNA repairs itself has expanded our understanding of the process and may lead to new chemotherapy treatments for cancer and other disorders .
In one of the pathways involved in the repair process , called Base Excision Repair ( BER ), damaged DNA is removed and a combination of proteins and enzymes work together to create DNA and fill in and then seal the gaps . Suo ’ s team discovered that BER has a built-in mechanism to increase its effectiveness ; it just needs to be captured at a very precise point .
In BER , an enzyme called polymerase B ( PolyB ) fulfills two functions : It creates DNA and it initiates a process to clean up leftover “ chemical junk .” Through five years of study , Suo ’ s team learned that by capturing PolyB when it is naturally cross-linked with DNA , the enzyme will create new genetic material at a speed 17 times faster than when the two are not cross-linked . This suggests that the two functions of PolyB are interlocked , not independent , during BER .
The research improves understanding of cellular genomic stability , drug efficacy and drug resistance . The NIH-funded study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Kabbaj team studying effects of isolation , partner separation
Biomedical Sciences Professor Mohamed Kabbaj and Zuoxin Wang , distinguished research professor of neuroscience in Psychology , received a $ 3 million grant in March to continue their study of prairie voles , one of the few mammalian species that are monogamous . That makes the small rodents excellent models for studying the effects of acute and social isolation , as well as partner separation . Like humans , they can display anxiety and depression-like behaviors .
Previous research by Kabbaj and Wang , as well as others , established that voles develop strong social bonds with their partners and set a great foundation for some of the mechanisms and brain structures implicated in pair bonding . This study will examine it in the context of brain circuitry . “ We ’ re interested in seeing what happens when you break the bonds and remove one partner ,” Kabbaj said , “ how it affects the health of the surviving partner in terms of mood , anxiety and depression .”
They will examine the circuitry and the role of oxytosin in mediating the effects of the separation by either activating the hormone and neurotransmitter or inhibiting it in three groups of voles : isolated voles , voles whose life partners have been removed , and voles who share space with a friend of the same sex .
“ We ’ re also going to bring the partners back together , to see if they can recover ,” Kabbaj said .
The research is expected to shed more light on what is wrong in humans who suffer from partner loss and how targeting their brain circuitry could remediate some of the effects .
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