Clinical PhD Programme at the University of Cambridge: 'Functional characterisation of responses to DNA damage in human cells.' (360G-Wellcome-094794_Z_10_Z)

Failure of accurate DNA damage sensing and repairing mechanisms manifest as a variety of human diseases including cancer. Cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain the most beneficial in terms of cancer treatments and largely act through the generation of DNA damage. Accuracy and efficiency of DNA damage detection and repair requires the recruitment and subsequent post-translational modification of various proteins. Ubiquitylation and sumoylation are highly dynamic and reversible enzymatic processes that play crucial roles during the execution of DNA damage sensing and repair. Further characterization of the enzymes involved in these processes is required in order to fully understand how the DNA damage response (DDR) is regulated and has the potential to provide new therapeutic targets. PIAS SUMO E3 ligase enzymes are necessary for human cells to respond appropriately to and effectively repair DNA double-strand breaks. ZIMP7 and ZIMP10 are two PIAS -like proteins that also contain a SP-RING/Miz zinc finger domain that potentially confers E3 ligase activity. Very little previous research has been focused on these proteins. I have demonstrated that both ZIMP7 and ZIMP10 are recruited to sites of DNA damage induced by laser micro-irradiation in cultured human cell lines. My goal now is to characterize the precise functions of ZIMP7 and ZIMP10 in the DDR.