Biomedical Research Fellowships 2008

Personal Research Fellowships for 2008-11 were awarded to:

* Dr Michelle Scott (Division of Biological Chemistry & Drug Discovery, University of Dundee), for her project entitled "Characterisation of the nucleolar protein interaction network".

* Dr Sarah C. Trewick (Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh), for her project entitled "DNA repair in heterochromatin and CENP-A chromatin".

Characterisation of the nucleolar protein interaction network

The nucleus of the cell is compartmentalised to house several different structures which are rresponsible for specific cellular activities. One of these structures is the nucleolus, which produces ribosomes. In recent years, various proteins involved in many other processes have also been found in the nucleolus, raising the question of what part the nucleolus itself has in these processes. It is well known that interactions between proteins regulate and are responsible for most cellular activities. Using computational biology and sophisticated databases of protein-protein interactions, Dr Scott plans to investigate the network of protein interactions in the nucelolus, to gain a better understanding of the proteins and the processes involved. In turn, this will not only increase understanding of the role of the nucleolus in diseases as varied as cancer and viral infections, but might eventually lead to the development of new treatments.

DNA repair in heterochromatin and CENP-A chromatin

The DNA within cells is constantly at risk of damage, from external factors such as ionising radiation and from internally-created metabolic by-products. If unrepaired, such damage can result in cell death, gene mutations, genome instability or, potentially, cancer. Two very efficient mechanisms exist which can limit or repair DNA damage, as long as the DNA itself can be accessed easily. However, the DNA in cells is organised such that unused DNA is packed into an inaccessible form known as heterochromatin. Very little is known about how DNA repair occurs in heterochromatin. When damage occurs to the DNA in heterochromatin, special mechanisms may first be required to remove or modifiy this packaging. Alternatively, different repair strategies may have to be used. Dr Trewick plans to use a combination of genetic and biochemical approaches to investigate and analyse whether the heterochromatin packing is changed to allow DNA repair and also how the repair process itself is modified to cope with mending DNA damage in heterochromatin.