Investigating the role of Hob1 in Repairing Double Stranded DNA Breaks in the Fission Yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Abstract

Mutations in DNA induce many diseases, including cancer. The human protein, Binl, has anticancer properties and interacts with proteins involved in maintaining DNA stability. Work completed at the GRU Cancer Center has shown that Binl is specifically involved in the nonhomologous end-joining pathway (NHEJ), a pathway that repairs DNA breaks. To complement this work, we are investigating the role of Hobl, the homolog of Binl in fission yeast, in NHEJ, If Hobl functions in a similar manner to Binl, then removal of Hobl from yeast should decrease the cells ability to repair breaks in the DNA. We are testing this hypothesis using a genetic yeast transformation protocol that measures how efficient the yeast are at converting a linear piece of DNA into a repaired circular piece of DNA. Our initial data showed that yeast lacking the HOB1gene are 10 fold effective at repairing the linear DNA compared to wildtype yeast. These data were surprising as they contradict our hypothesis and the data collected in human cells that lack Binl. We are currently repeating the experiment to verify our results. Together our research supports a negative role for Hobl in repairing DNA double strand breaks in the fission yeast. Begin Time: 06:50 End Time: 28:24