BBB seminar: Hilde Nilsen
The role of DNA repair in apoptotic signalling
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Hilde Nilsen
The Biotechnology Centre, University of Oslo
DNA repair pathways and intracellular signalling cascades contribute to DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms that determine cellular responses to DNA damage. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used successfully to study DDR in response to DNA damage induced by physical or chemical agents. Whether DDR is activated in response to the most abundant forms of DNA damage, arising spontaneously through the reaction of water and reactive oxygen species with DNA, is poorly understood. Compared with treatment with physical or chemical DNA damaging agents, the study of DDR in response to endogenous lesions must overcome technical problems with respect to inducing sufficiently high levels of DNA lesions to allow studies of downstream responses. We have exploited RNA interference (RNAi) technology in C. elegans to modulate dNTP pools in order to achieve incorporation of modified DNA bases above background levels.
Chair: Bjørn Tore Gjertsen <bjorn.gjertsen@med.uib.no>, Institute of Medicine