BS, Oakland University
PhD, Wayne State University
Post Doc, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York
Research Interests:
Biochemistry
Maintaining the integrity of DNA is essential for the survival of all living organisms. Cellular DNA is under constant assault by a variety of internal and external sources. For example, exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays has the ability to cause DNA base pairs to crosslink, which potentially could lead to skin cancer. Cells have evolved a variety of mechanisms to repair resulting damaged DNA, but some of these lesions remain and increase the potential for mutagenesis. In addition to having the ability to alter the DNA's coding potential, DNA lesions present severe blocks to normal DNA replication. The recent discovery of a large group of translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) polymerases, the Y-superfamily, has shed light on how cells are able to handle DNA lesions. Unlike replicative DNA polymerases, this family of DNA polymerases has the ability to traverse a variety of DNA lesions. Understanding how these DNA polymerases are able to bypass DNA lesions has obvious implications toward mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. In the lab, use of a variety of molecular, biochemical, and structural techniques elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these DNA polymerases are able to bypass specific DNA carcinogens
Recent Courses:
Biochemistry I/II (CHEM 461/462)
Advanced Biochemistry Lab (CHEM 466)
Research in Chemistry (CHEM 390)
Survey of Chemistry II (CHEM 132)