The roles of a poorly characterized protease in rescuing the genome from protein linked DNA breaks

Protein linked DNA breaks (PDBs) create major challenges in genome metabolism, when they are not repaired genomes become unstable and can cause cell death. Manipulation of this pathway to inhibit repair of PDBs has been used widely in cancer treatment. Proteins that covalently bind DNA in normal metabolism can, in certain circumstances, rely on specialised enzymes for their removal. The project will characterise the roles of a poorly characterised yeast enzyme during DNA repair and identify human orthologues that may become a useful target for anti-cancer drugs. The successful candidate will receive training in advanced molecular biology techniques, yeast and human genetics, mammalian cell culture, and DNA repair assays.