Research Spotlight: Eichman Lab

Posted by daviskd2 on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 in News.

Eichman lab member Noah Bradley, CSB Researcher Brandt Eichman and colleagues were recognized by Nucleic Acids Research as the NAR Breakthrough Article for their analysis of a previously uncharacterized DNA repair enzyme from E. coli, YcaQ. The protein belongs to a family of DNA glycosylases, which cleave the bond between a damaged base and the DNA backbone. YcaQ is special in that it specifically recognizes bases that form part of an interstrand crosslink (ICL), one of the most dangerous types of lesions. This type of activity has been observed before, but is not well understood mechanistically. In their study, they demonstrate that YcaQ defines an ICL repair pathway alternative to such systems as the Fanconi anaemia or NER-based pathways.