Name: Tomas Aparicio

Position: Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Research Description:

DNA is constantly suffering alterations that threaten the integrity of the information it encodes.
 
Among all the lesions that occur in the DNA, double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most harmful, since if unrepaired they can lead to a massive loss of genetics material. Aberrancies in the repair of DSBs are specially toxic since they produce chromosomal rearrangements, such as deletions and translocation. Lack of gemone instability results in birth defects, neurodegenerative disorders  and/or cancers. Understanding the molecular mechanism of DSB repair and recombination will give us insight into the causes of these diseases and possibly ways of predicting or preventing them.
 
Our research is focused on the recognition DSBs by the Ku70/80 complex, the MRN (Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1) complex, the endonuclease CtIP  and how they cooperate to promote the repair of double strand breaks. We are using a combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry approaches with the vertebrate cell free system of Xenopus laevis egg extracts to elucidate the molecular events that take place on chromatin upon the occurrence of DNA breaks.

Lab Memberships

Gautier Lab (Post-doc)

Contact Information

Address:
Institute for Cancer Genetics
Columbia University Medical Center
1130 St Nicholas Ave.
New York, NY
10032, USA

Web Page: http://www.gautierlab.org/
Phone:  212 851 4567
General/Lab Fax:  212 851 4567