Organic Chemistry Seminar: Reading the Damaged Genome: How DNA Sequence and Mechanics Shape Repair Enzyme Recognition
Dr. Ariel Afek, Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Faculty of Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science
Abstract:
DNA repair enzymes do not recognize lesions in isolation. Instead, they act on DNA molecules whose sequence, shape, and mechanical state influence how damage is detected and repaired.
In this seminar, I will discuss how DNA glycosylases, key enzymes in base excision repair, read information beyond the damaged base itself. I will first present high-throughput measurements showing that repair enzyme binding depends strongly on the surrounding DNA sequence and structural context. I will then describe how pre-existing DNA bending can tune glycosylase binding and activity by altering the energetic cost of DNA deformation.
Together, these results suggest that DNA repair is governed not only by lesion chemistry, but also by the physical and chemical properties of the DNA substrate.
Event Organizer: Dr. Muhammad Jbara
