People

Molekulare Mechanismen der DNA-Reparatur

"My project consists of unraveling the mechanisms for translesion synthesis (TLS), which is a process used for tolerating DNA damage. As the cellular replication machinery stalls at the DNA lesion site, special polymerases can effectively bypass lesions and allow for DNA repair. The main focus of my project is to biochemically and structurally characterise these special TLS polymerases."

"My project focuses on the Holliday junction resolvases MUS81-EME1 and SLX4-SLX. These proteins, which are conserved throughout eukaryotes, play a vital role in resolving recombination intermediates and we are especially interested in elucidating interactions with other proteins and study their activities with various DNA substrates."

"Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is a fundamental DNA damage tolerance pathway, which allows the replicative machinery to bypass blocking lesions that could be present on the DNA and prevent DNA replication (e.g. UV-light induce crosslinks). The aim of my PhD project is to structurally and biochemically describe the interactions and functions of proteins involved in TLS, particularly TLS DNA polymerases and their interaction partners using techniques such as cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography"

"The main aim of my project is to characterize 'minimal translesion complexes' that are sufficient to synthesize DNA across lesions. I want to find a stable system to perform biochemical and structural analyses"

"SLX4 is a coordinator of multiple DNA structure-specific endonucleases, and it is involved in multiple DNA repair pathways, including interstrand crosslinks repair, Holliday junction resolution, etc. Although a number of studies on SLX4 structure and functions are available, a complete picture of how the SLX4 regulates recognition and processing of DNA damage and interacts with other proteins is largely unclear. My project focuses on the structural and biochemical characterization of SLX4 and selected interaction partners using cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography as main techniques. "

"I am interested in Mechanism of DNA Repair and currently I am working on the characterization of the Holliday junction resolvase GEN1 in different biochemical contexts".

"In general I’m interested in the mechanisms of homologous recombination. My project focuses on the eukaryotic Holliday junction resolvase GEN1 which is one of the key players for removing DNA joint molecules during recombination and replication. Specifically, I'm trying to unravel the mechanism of GEN1 substrate recognition and the cleavage by using structural biology and biochemical tools."

"SLX4 is a platform protein involved in DNA damage repair. At the end of homologous recombination, Holliday Junctions need to be resolved and this process is carried out by SLX4 in association with other proteins such as SLX1, MUS81, and EME1. The details about the concerted cleavage reaction executed by the SLX4-SLX1-MUS81-EME1 complex remain unknown. In my project, I apply biochemical and structural methods in order to unravel the mechanisms of DNA binding and cleavage of the SLX4-SLX1-MUS81-EME1 complex."

"I assist scientists with protein purification, ordering, and many other things in order to keep the lab running. I am also the person in charge of mantaining cell culture."

"I work in a range of projects: from studying the the influence of cell cycle on DNA Repair to helping characterize DNA repair proteins. I also provide support and help in ordering, organizing and coordinating "