Shahrez Syed

CTC1-STN1-TEN1 controls DNA break repair pathway choice via DNA end resection blockade Antagonistic activities of the 53BP1 axis and the tumor suppressor BRCA1-BARD1 determine whether DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are repaired by end joining or homologous recombination. We show that t...

Excited to share our latest publication, out in @science.org! We define a key role for the CST complex in double-strand break repair pathway choice. This study was conducted in close collaboration with the Sung lab at UT Health San Antonio. Congrats to @michelleswift.bsky.social and all authors!

Essentially, the two DNA binding domains of BRCA2 exhibit a sort of separation of function where one is more important for HR function while the other is essential for replication fork protection.

Distinct roles of the two BRCA2 DNA-binding domains in DNA damage repair and replication fork preservation Neal et al. show that BRCA2 deploys its OB-fold and C-terminal DNA-binding domains to engage single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA, respectively. Inactivation of these DNA-binding domains reveal...

Just published new work as part of a project led by a prior MD/PhD student (Francisco Neal) in Sung Lab. The work dissects the role of the two DNA binding domains in BRCA2 - my favorite HR protein.
@cellpress.bsky.social @cp-cellreports.bsky.social
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tinyurl.com/3u4wnwh9

Fresh of the press, a beautiful collaborative work with and from the Sung lab, led by the amazing Francisco Neal, now back to his "normal" life (med school) post PhD. doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... Distinct roles of the two BRCA2 DNA-binding domains in DNA damage repair and replication fork preservation

🔬 New from the Farnung Lab: We established a fully in vitro reconstituted chromatin replication system and report the first cryo-EM snapshots of the human replisome engaging nucleosomes. Brilliant work by @felixsteinruecke.bsky.social with support from @jonmarkert.bsky.social! tinyurl.com/replisome

The homologous recombination factors BRCA2 and PALB2 interplay with mismatch repair pathways to maintain centromere stability and cell viability Graham et al. demonstrate that BRCA2 and PALB2 protect centromere integrity in non-cancerous cells through distinct mechanisms, partly counteracting the mismatch repair factor MLH1. In cancer cells, B...

We are delighted to share our latest work, characterising the role of BRCA2 and its binding partner PALB2 at centromeres, just out in the latest issue of Cell Reports. ⬇️

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Ustilago maydis Trf2 ensures genome stability by antagonizing Blm-mediated telomere recombination: Fine-tuning DNA repair factor activity at telomeres through opposing regulations Author summary The ends of linear chromosomes are protected from abnormal repair by a collection of telomere proteins. One protein that plays an especially prominent role is TRF2, which binds to doubl...

Excited to share my newest publication on the regulatory relationship between U. maydis double stranded telomere-binding proteins Trf2, Tay1 and the Blm helicase.

Special thanks to Drs. Lue and Holloman at Weill-Cornell Medicine for the opportunity.

journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

Experimental results showing DNA break formation by purified SPO11 protein. Above is an image of an electrophoresis gel, below is a graph showing quantification of the DNA cleaving activity

Hi Bluesky. For my first post, I'd like to advertise the latest preprint from my lab, describing at long last our reconstitution of SPO11-dependent double-strand break formation from purified recombinant proteins. Outstanding work from PhD student Zhi (Zack) Zheng.