RT @EMGSUS: MEET THE SPEAKERS! Our invited speakers for Symposium 10 of #EMGS2025, "Environmental toxicants and Genome Integrity: The regul….

Research mentors, “unofficial” mentors within the PSU & greater scientific communities, colleagues, former lab mates. Thank you all so much.

This is a credit to all past & present lab members whose hard work, dedication, & scientific intrigue made this dream a reality. Also, a credit to SO many along the way (too many to mention by name) that provided unwavering support, motivation, & inspiration.

It’s official: Promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry with Tenure. Beyond proud & excited for the lab to continue our journey in the genome stability field & charter new territories within such an amazing community.

Major implications for interplay between human DNA damage tolerance pathways. A culmination of the continuous efforts of lead author Jessica Norris, recent Chemistry PhD graduate @psu_chemistry & another great collaboration with the Edwin Antony lab.

New pre-print from our lab @psu_chemistry @PSUScience. Direct, ensemble FRET assays developed by our lab reveal that assembly of Rad51 filaments @ stalled replication sites via RPA/Rad51 exchange causes complete & irreversible PCNA unloading.

Looking forward to 2027!!.

That’s a wrap to Mammalian DNA Repair @GordonConf. MUCH thanks & appreciation to @RogerRogergr & @hildaApickett for organizing an exceptional meeting. Thankful 4 the opportunity to give a talk on our research @psu_chemistry @PSUScience & 4 the insightful & constructive feedback.

Excited & en route to attend Mammalian DNA Repair @GordonConf . Looking forward to catching up with old friends, making new connections, learning new science & presenting our recent advances from @psu_chemistry @PSUScience.

Had a phenomenal time visiting the Dept of Med Chem at the U of Kansas. Grateful for the opportunity to present some of our research @psu_chemistry @PSUScience. Many thanks to @LukeErber for the invite & the dept for sharing their exciting science & for the hospitality.

polymerase delta holoenzymes promotes their progression at certain lesions by providing multiple attempts at one or more dNTP incorporation steps involved in lesion bypass. This work was led by 5th year @psu_chemistry PhD student Rachel Dannenberg @PSUScience.

by pol delta-independent & -dependent mechanisms. 5. Proofreading by human pol delta holoenzymes does not deter their progression at any of the 10 lesions analyzed. Rather it significantly promotes progression at 7 of the 10 lesions analyzed. This suggests proofreading by human.

4. Human pol delta holoenzymes contribute to the bypass of the majority of 3MeC, FapyG, Abasic site, thymine glycols & 8oxoG lesions they encounter, either by initiating bypass or executing complete bypass. This suggests these lesions are bypassed in lagging strand templates….

3. Human pol delta holoenzymes do not significantly contribute, if at all, to bypass of 1,N6-ethenoadenine or cis-syn cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in lagging strand templates. Hence, DNA damage tolerance is required to complete bypass of these lesions in lagging strand templates.

2. Human pol delta holoenzymes do not recognize uracil or Inosine as lesions & consequently bypass all uracil & Inosine they encounter. Given recent findings in the field, this suggests Uracil is a selective impediment to leading strand replication.

The results below alter our understanding of the replicative capacity of high-fidelity DNA polymerase holoenzymes and their functions role(s) in lesion bypass . 1. Human pol delta holoenzymes bypass more than 2/3rds of O6MeG lesions they encounter.

Check out our latest pre-print, a follow-up to our 2022 NAR study. Now we have characterized encounters of human DNA polymerase delta holoenzymes with 10 biologically-significant & structurally diverse DNA lesions. Follow 🧵 for key findings & implications.

Very happy & excited to be able to attend & participate in @NOBCChE Sustainable Momentum Conference. @psu_chemistry @PSUScience

Check this 👇out! Amazing opportunity.

All approaches utilize commercially-available fluorescence spectrophotometer & accessories, can be readily evolved for alternative DNA polymerases & DNA substrates, & permit incorporation of PTMs, accessory factors, DNA covalent modifications, accessory factors, enzymes, etc.