NEWS: Park et al. 2021

Large genes, replication timing, transcription and R-loops

Publication July 21, 2021

Our most recent paper addressing mechanisms of CNV formation at large, transcribed genes has appeared in Nucleic Acids Research.

Park et al. report that transcription of a large gene is indeed essential for its instability under replication stress, as revealed by promoter ablation experiments. That affect correlates closely with replication delays seen under stress when transcribed, but not with R-loop levels, which are always low in the body of these genes.

Congratulations to the many people who contributed to this true team study!

People

So Hae (Irene) Park
PhD Student
Demonstrated that CNV formation at large genes depends on their active transcription
Genetics and Genomics Program
Current position: science writer
Pam Bennett-Baker
Research Technician
Primary contributor to Park et al., including critical studies of replication timing and R-loops
Current position: Central Biorepository (CBR), University of Michigan
Samreen Ahmed
Research Technician
Senior lab member, master of many trades, fills many roles as needed

Projects

Mammalian CNV Formation

Mechanistic studies of genomic copy number and structural variant formation, in collaboration with Dr. Tom Glover

Publications

Locus-specific transcription silencing at the FHIT gene suppresses replication stress-induced copy number variant formation and associated replication delay
Park SH, Bennett-Baker P, Ahmed S, Arlt MF, Ljungman M, Glover TW, Wilson TE
Nucleic Acids Res 49(13):7507-7524 (2021)
PMID: 34181717 PMC8287918

Funding

Extreme genomic instability at large transcribed genes: mechanisms and consequences for the cancer genome
09/01/2016 to 08/31/2022