Related Links

• Center for Structural Biology
• WFUSM Biochemistry
• WFU Graduate School
• Biochemistry on Facebook
• Hollis Lab Wiki (lab only)

Structural Biology of DNA Repair

The maintenance of DNA integrity is essential for normal cellular function and for the propagation of the genetic code to successive generations. A variety of endogenous cellular reagents and exogenous toxins are capable of reacting with and modifying DNA. These modifications can pose blocks to replicative DNA polymerases and/or interfere with the binding of regulatory proteins to DNA causing wide spread cellular responses. Repair of lesions in DNA is a critical cellular response mediated by enzymes that can accurately detect, remove and/or correct the damaged bases. Research in the Hollis laboratory focuses on the structural biology of proteins involved in DNA repair. We use a combination of X-ray crystallography, biochemistry and molecular biology to address questions of DNA damage recognition and repair by proteins.

News

Selected Publications

• Holland PJ, Hollis T. Structural and mutational analysis of Escherichia coli AlkB provides insight into substrate specificity and DNA damage searching. PLoS ONE. 2010; 5(1):e8680.
• Waligora EA, Ramsey DM, Pryor EE Jr, Lu H, Hollis T, Sloan GP, Deora R, Wozniak DJ. AmrZ beta-sheet residues are essential for DNA binding and transcriptional control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes. J Bacteriol. 2010 Oct;192(20):5390-401.
• Shaban NM, Harvey S, Perrino FW, Hollis T. The structure of the mammalian RNase H2 complex provides insight into RNA.NA hybrid processing to prevent immune dysfunction. J Biol Chem. 2010; 285(6):3617-3624.
• de Silva U, Perrino FW, Hollis T. DNA binding induces active site conformational change in the human TREX2 3'-exonuclease. Nucleic Acids Res. 2009; 37(7):2411-2417.

Perrino FW, Harvey S, Shaban NM, Hollis T. RNaseH2 mutants that cause Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome are active nucleases. J Mol Med. 2009; 87(1):25-30.