US-Denmark Cooperative Research on Chromosome Maintenance and Segregation: Dependence on Chromosome Interaction in Yeast

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This award supports Dr. Michael Resnick of the Cellular and Genetic Toxicology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, for several short visits over a three year period to collaborate in genetics research with Professor Torsten Nilsson-Tillgren of the Institute of Genetics of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. They are studying whether chromosome stability is related to the opportunity for homologous chromosomes to interact. They are also interested in determining the consequences of DNA damage on chromosome maintenance and segregation in chromosome pairs containing divergent DNA sequences. Dr. Resnick's research has addressed the molecular and genetic mechanisms of DNA repair, recombination and chromosome stability. He has excellent facilities for experimentally inducing and measuring various types of DNA damage. Dr. Nilsson-Tillgren has been pursuing the genetics of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis through the transfer of chromosomes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He has developed several yeast strains containing transplanted chromosomes and genetic markers. He also has considerable expertise with gel electrophoresis karyotyping in yeast and with examining chromosome differences and possible translocations. The continued success of their research depends on this unique combination of expertise, facilities and genetic material. Prior work of these investigators has shown that homologous chromosomes in diploid vegetative cells of the yeast S. cerevisae can undergo recombinational interactions and that these interactions play an important role in chromosome stability and segregation during normal mitotic processes. They propose to continue to study the role of homology between a specific pair of homeologous chromosomes in "protecting" chromosomes against DNA damage. The results of this research will lead to a better understanding of chromosome mechanics in eukaryotic cells. It will also provide a sensitive means for detecting a unique category of DNA-damaging agents.