Program Project in Structural Cell Biology of DNA Repair Machines: Overview

Project Abstract

This integrated multi-institutional Program Project in Structural Biology of DNA Repair (SBDR) addresses the challenge of understanding at the molecular level the pathways controlling genetic integrity. SBDR will a) produce biologically relevant DNA repair protein structures, b) identify fundamental structural principles for repair proteins, and c) provide the structural framework for a unified understanding of the biochemistry, genetics, and biology needed for this field. SBDR will leverage and integrate the existing biological and structural research strengths and programs of the investigators and their institutions to develop, test, and promote a new paradigm for optimizing inter-disciplinary scientific collaborations in the post-genomic era.

The structural biology of individual proteins is linked to complexes and pathways through five interconnecting Projects investigating key DNA repair processes:
1) base excision repair,
2) transcription-coupled and replication-associated base excision repair,
3) double-strand break detection and rejoining,
4) homologous recombinational repair, and
5) mismatch repair.

The resulting biologically driven determinations of repair protein structures will apply the comparative knowledge of the sequenced bacterial, archaeal, yeast, and human genomes to an understanding of the structural cell biology of DNA repair in man. LBNL will provide the center for unified research efforts by SBDR through three Cores: Expression and Molecular Biology, Structural Cell Biology, and Administrative. Together, these Cores will insure efficient application and coordination of methodological, technical, and scientific advances by the five component Projects. Quantitative characterization of dynamic conformations plus coupled high and low-resolution X-ray diffraction studies at the new SIBYLS synchrotron beamline at LBNL will integrate DNA repair biology with structure at escalating levels of complexity from domains to multi-protein molecular machines.

As an integrated whole, SBDR addresses three unifying hypotheses:
1) DNA repair proteins function as chemo-mechanical devices that detect and repair damage via protein and DNA conformational switching;
2) DNA repair proteins interact dynamically to form multi-protein macromolecular machines that utilize cooperativity and allostery to coordinate and regulate function; and
3) structurally-encoded interactions and pathway connections are as important as chemistry for biological function of repair proteins.

The large macromolecular recognition interfaces thus identified are likely to contain more sequence polymorphisms than smaller, functionally critical, active site regions. SBDR Program results will therefore be fundamental to rational design of epidemiological studies and will provide the logical next step to fully utilizing the information on individual polymorphisms in DNA repair proteins being developed by the DOE and NIH Environmental and Human Genome Project.

SBDR Program Organization

Although there are extensive cross Project interactions and synergies, we have organized this proposed SBDR Program into five mutually reinforcing research components and three key Core units.

Key Personnel

NameOrganizationRole on Project
Tainer, John A. UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Principal Investigator; Project 3 Leader; SCB Core Director and ADM Core co-Director
Cooper, Priscilla K. UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Co-Principal Investigator; Project 2 Leader; ADM and EMB Core Director
Beese, Lorena S. Duke University Medical School Project 5 Senior Investigator; SCB Core co-Director
Carney, James P. University of Maryland School of Medicine Project 3 Senior Investigator
Chen, David J. UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Project 3 Senior Investigator
Earnest, Thomas N. UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory SCB Core Investigator
Ellenberger, Thomas Harvard Medical School Project 1 Senior Investigator; EMB and SCB Core co-Director
Genick, Ulrich UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lead Research Scientist, SCB Core
Kolodner, Richard D. UC San Diego School of Medicine Project 5 Senior Investigator
Kowalczykowski, Stephen Univ. of California at Davis Project 4 Senior Investigator
Matsumoto, Yoshihiro Fox Chase Cancer Center Project 2 Senior Investigator
Mitra, Sankar University of Texas Medical Branch Project 2 Senior Investigator
Modrich, Paul L. Duke University Medical School Project 5 Leader
Nogales, Eva UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Project 2 Senior Investigator
Qin, Jun Baylor University Project 3 Senior Investigator
Samson, Leona Harvard School of Public Health Project 1 Leader
Schild, David UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Project 4 Senior Investigator
Thompson, Larry Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Project 4 Leader
Tomkinson, Alan University of Texas Health Science Center Project 1 Senior Investigator

Links to web sites:

Performance Site for center of program:

UC / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1 Cyclotron Road
Life Sciences Division, Building 74
Berkeley, CA 94720

Other Performance Sites

Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Room N403
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX  77030

Fox Chase Cancer Center
7701 Burholme Avenue
Philadelphia, PA  19111

Harvard School of Public Health
Department of Cancer Cell Biology
Division of Toxicology
665 Huntington Avenue, I-607B
Boston, MA  02115

Duke University Medical School
Department of Biochemistry
Box 3711
Duke Medical Center
Durham, NC  27710

Harvard Medical School
Department BCMP
240 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA  02115

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
BBR Program L452
P.O. Box 808
Livermore, CA  94551

U.C. San Diego School of Medicine
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
CMME-3080
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA  92093

University of Maryland School of Medicine
Radiation Oncology Research Laboratory
Bressler Research Building, 6-015
655 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

University of Texas Medical Branch
Sealy Center for Molecular Science and
Dept. of Human Biological Chemistry
6.136 Medical Research Building
Galveston, TX  77555-1079

Univ. of California at Davis
Department of Microbiology and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Hutchison Hall Room 258
Davis, CA 95616-8665

University of Texas Health Science Center
Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Medicine
15355 Lambda Drive
San Antonio, TX  78245


SIBYLS Home Page