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

该奖项支持国家环境健康科学研究所细胞和遗传毒理学分部的Michael Resnick博士在三年内进行几次短期访问，与丹麦哥本哈根大学遗传学研究所的Torsten Nilsson-Tillgren教授合作进行遗传学研究。他们正在研究染色体稳定性是否与同源染色体相互作用的机会有关。他们还对确定DNA损伤对含有不同DNA序列的染色体对的染色体维持和分离的后果感兴趣。雷斯尼克博士的研究涉及DNA修复、重组和染色体稳定性的分子和遗传机制。他拥有极好的设备来实验诱导和测量各种类型的DNA损伤。Nilsson-Tillgren博士一直在通过转移酿酒酵母的染色体来研究啤酒酵母的遗传学。他开发了几种含有移植染色体和遗传标记的酵母菌株。他还在酵母凝胶电泳法核型分析以及检测染色体差异和可能的易位方面拥有相当多的专业知识。他们研究的持续成功依赖于专业知识、设施和遗传物质的这种独特组合。这些研究人员的前期工作表明，酿酒酵母二倍体营养细胞中的同源染色体可以发生重组相互作用，这些相互作用在正常有丝分裂过程中对染色体的稳定性和分离起着重要作用。他们建议继续研究特定的一对同源染色体之间的同源性在“保护”染色体免受DNA损伤方面的作用。这项研究的结果将有助于更好地理解真核细胞中的染色体力学。它还将为检测一类独特的DNA损伤剂提供一种灵敏的手段。

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.