News item posted on 2014-06-03

CSB Research Spotlight: Brandt Eichman

The journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published studies by CSB member Brandt Eichman and his colleagues that uncovered a conserved recognition domain in DNA repair enzymes. This domain couples DNA recognition and remodeling and plays an important role in stabilizing replication forks and maintaining genome integrity. The researchers demonstrated that the HARP domain is a functional substitute for one of these regions and that mutations of predicted DNA-binding amino acids in the HARP domain reduced its ability to bind to replication forks and facilitate repair. The Eichman Lab is focused on understanding how proteins recognize and manipulate DNA structure to carry out various biological processes.

Read more about the research online at Research News@Vanderbilt.

Author: Stephen M. Doster