Core researchers have determined the effects of irradiation of parental male mice on the frequency and characteristics of mitotically occurring DNA deletion events at the pun locus in the offspring. Reversion of the pun marker in mouse embryos is due to deletion of 70 kilobases of DNA resulting in fur spots in the offspring. It was found that irradiation of male mice caused a significantly higher frequency of large spots in the offspring, indicative of the induction of DNA deletions early in embryo development. However, these deletion events occurred many cell divisions after irradiation. Present data indicate that exposure of the germline to ionizing radiation results in the induction of delayed DNA deletions in offspring mice.
Research concentrates on the biochemistry of proteolytic mechanisms of cell cycle control.
This newly formed research group has shown that proteolysis mediated by the SCF ubiquitin ligase pathway plays an important role in cell cycle control. Fission yeast SCFPop regulates the stability of the replication initiator Cdc18p and the Cdk inhibitor Rum1p by mediating their ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. In fact, Pop1p and Pop2p form hetero-oligomeric complexes, which cooperate in binding and targeting of Cdc18p for proteolysis.