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==Lab News==


Our PCR's are fail-proof :)
===WELCOME TO THE SOBECK LAB===
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Summer is here :)  [[image:Frog10.gif]]
We are interested in signaling pathways that contribute to the maintenance of genomic stability in our cells and thus prevent cancer susceptibility in humans. We are studying DNA damage response pathways that are activated during the S-phase of the cell cycle, when chromosomes replicate.


==Research Description==
Our research centers on the  Fanconi Anemia (FA) and Breast Cancer associated (BRCA1, BRCA2) repair pathways that are suspected to have crucial functions in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint activation during S-phase. Humans born with mutations in FA genes have a highly elevated risk to develop certain types of cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and various types of solid tumors. Acquired mutations and silencing of FA genes have been found in different cancers in the general population and the FA genes are thus considered "caretakers" of our genome. Our goal is to understand the molecular functions of the FA/BRCA proteins (currently 19 FA/BRCA genes are known) and to elucidate how these proteins communicate with other members of the DNA damage response network to control and suppress genomic instability.


[[image:DNA_Replication.JPG|thumb|left|450px|FA Pathway Model]]
Our lab uses a combination of human cell-based assays and extracts prepared from eggs of the African clawed frog,'' Xenopus laevis''. These extracts are naturally cell-cycle synchronized and able to replicate and repair DNA in a test tube, providing us with a cell-free system that can be manipulated in many ways and that allows us to ask specific questions about functions of individual FA/BRCA proteins during the DNA damage response.


The stability of the cellular genome is constantly threatened by a variety of exogenous and endogenous mutagenic agents such as UV light, reactive oxygen species, etc. Cells protect their genome against carcinogenic alterations by using a complex network of “caretaker” proteins that function to maintain the integrity of the cellular chromosomes. Inherited defects in these caretaker genes are the cause of genomic instability syndromes in humans, such as Fanconi Anemia or Bloom syndrome, characterized by a highly elevated risk to develop certain types of cancer. We study these diseases to understand and discover novel mechanisms important to control and suppress cancer susceptibility.
==POSTDOCS WANTED!==
We currently have 1-2 postdoc positions open. Please submit your CV and a cover letter providing an overview of your research interests and future career goals as well as the names of three references. Email: asobeck@umn.edu. Deadline: May 10, 2016.


Our lab is particularly interested in the evolutionarily new Fanconi anemia (FA) caretaker pathway. According to the current FA pathway model (see cartoon), a large nuclear complex of at least 10 FA proteins is required to activate two downstream target proteins, FANCD2 and FANCI. This activation occurs in response to DNA damage but also during every S-phase of the cell cycle, when cells replicate their chromosomes. Thus, the FA pathway is suspected to have important functions to prevent DNA damage that occurs naturally during every round of chromosomal replication.


To identify the roles of FA proteins in the DNA damage response, we use egg extracts from the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis – an extremely powerful cell free system that uniquely mirrors cellular replication of DNA complete with the assembly of chromatin into a functional nucleus.


The lab uses a combination of biochemistry, genetics, and imaging techniques to elucidate molecular mechanisms that underlie the FA caretaker functions, and to understand how FA proteins are networked with other caretaker proteins including the breast cancer-associated proteins (e.g. BRCA1 and BRCA2) and the Bloom syndrome-associated proteins (e.g. BLM and BLAP75).


[[Image:Sobeck GROUPsmaller.jpg]]
'''May 2013 (left to right): Maya Raghunandan, Dan Stroik, Alex Sobeck, Jung-Eun Yeo, Indrajit Chaudhury, Sarah Riman, Niki Sathish Kumar'''
===CURRENT RESEARCH TOPICS===
this part is currently being updated (April 2016), please check back soon ..
===Lab News===
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<span style="color:blue">!! Mark your calendars for the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Symposium from September 15-18, 2016 in Seattle, Washington</span>
  [[image:Frog10.gif]]


==Useful links==
==Useful links==
*[[OpenWetWare:Welcome|Introductory tutorial]]
*[[OpenWetWare:Welcome|Introductory tutorial]]
*[[Help|OpenWetWare help pages]]
*[[Help|OpenWetWare help pages]]

Latest revision as of 10:52, 25 April 2016

Home/Research        Contact        Lab Members        Publications        Talks        Protocols        Internal       



WELCOME TO THE SOBECK LAB

We are interested in signaling pathways that contribute to the maintenance of genomic stability in our cells and thus prevent cancer susceptibility in humans. We are studying DNA damage response pathways that are activated during the S-phase of the cell cycle, when chromosomes replicate.

Our research centers on the Fanconi Anemia (FA) and Breast Cancer associated (BRCA1, BRCA2) repair pathways that are suspected to have crucial functions in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint activation during S-phase. Humans born with mutations in FA genes have a highly elevated risk to develop certain types of cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and various types of solid tumors. Acquired mutations and silencing of FA genes have been found in different cancers in the general population and the FA genes are thus considered "caretakers" of our genome. Our goal is to understand the molecular functions of the FA/BRCA proteins (currently 19 FA/BRCA genes are known) and to elucidate how these proteins communicate with other members of the DNA damage response network to control and suppress genomic instability.

Our lab uses a combination of human cell-based assays and extracts prepared from eggs of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. These extracts are naturally cell-cycle synchronized and able to replicate and repair DNA in a test tube, providing us with a cell-free system that can be manipulated in many ways and that allows us to ask specific questions about functions of individual FA/BRCA proteins during the DNA damage response.

POSTDOCS WANTED!

We currently have 1-2 postdoc positions open. Please submit your CV and a cover letter providing an overview of your research interests and future career goals as well as the names of three references. Email: asobeck@umn.edu. Deadline: May 10, 2016.






May 2013 (left to right): Maya Raghunandan, Dan Stroik, Alex Sobeck, Jung-Eun Yeo, Indrajit Chaudhury, Sarah Riman, Niki Sathish Kumar

CURRENT RESEARCH TOPICS

this part is currently being updated (April 2016), please check back soon ..

Lab News


!! Mark your calendars for the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Symposium from September 15-18, 2016 in Seattle, Washington

 

Useful links