Biological function of the C. elegans AP endonuclease CeAPN-1

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Normal daily metabolism and many wide spread chemical agents in the environment can damage our genetic material (DNA).  Damages to the DNA must be repaired otherwise cells would accumulate genetic alterations at an enormous rate escalating the risk of developing tumors.  However, all cells possess many different types of DNA repair proteins that efficiently restore the damaged DNA to its native form. Some of these proteins repair only specific damages to DNA.  In several unfortunate cases, there are individuals that have deficiency in specific type of DNA repair proteins, for example, patients suffering from the disease Xeroderma pigmentosum cannot repair sunlight-induced DNA damages.  As a result, these patients have a high incidence of skin cancer.  We have identified two DNA repair proteins in a small worm called Caenorhabditis elegans, an organism that has been used as a simple model system to understand many biological processes.  We are in the process of characterizing these DNA repair proteins in C. elegans, by understanding the types of DNA lesions they can repair. We will use special techniques to prevent these DNA repair proteins from correcting damaged DNA in C. elegans.  Under this condition, the worm is not expected to survive when expose to environmental DNA damaging agents.  Worms lacking these DNA repair proteins may be used as a sensitive reporter system to measure the level of contaminants in the environment (soil and water).