ARRTI Speaker Series - Dr. Gareth Williams

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The Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute presents Dr. Gareth Williams, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Calgary. His talk is titled "Biochemical and structural basis for how the human RAD51 paralogs promote homologous recombination repair." The ARRTI Speaker Series is open to the public and was established to bring leading researchers to the University of Lethbridge for lectures on a broad range of topics relating to RNA research. All are welcome! Coffee and snacks will be provided!

Abstract:
DNA double-strand breaks are among the most toxic forms of DNA damage, and their misrepair can lead to chromosome rearrangements that are a hallmark of cancer. Homologous recombination repair is an essential pathway that fixes DNA double-strand breaks and stalled replication forks. Central to HRR is the RAD51 recombinase, which forms nucleoprotein filaments that carry out strand exchange and the search for homology. The human RAD51 paralog ATPase complexes (RAD51C-XRCC3 and RAD51B-RAD51C-RAD51D-XRCC2) interact with RAD51 and play important roles to promote homologous recombination repair, yet their precise functions in this pathway remain enigmatic. We have developed robust methods to purify the human RAD51C-XRCC3 complex, and find that this complex binds to and structurally remodels presynaptic RAD51 filaments to stimulate HRR. We have also combined small-angle X-ray scattering, X-ray crystallography, and modelling approaches to build a high-resolution structure of the RAD51C-XRCC3 complex to understand the molecular basis for their interaction and the impact of cancer-associated mutations.

Room or Area: 
B650

Contact:

Emily Wilton | emily.wilton@uleth.ca