Laboratory of Chromosome Replication

Scientific Overview

General Overview

The Weinreich lab studies the regulation and mechanism of cellular DNA replication.  DNA is the genetic material that must be exactly duplicated (or replicated) each time a cell divides.  Alterations in the genes that initiate DNA replication contribute to multiple types of cancer and also cause the rare genetic condition called Meier-Gorlin syndrome.  Since high levels of replication initiation proteins are often found in tumor cells and promote abnormal growth, understanding how to safely and specifically inhibit these proteins represents a new approach to cancer treatment.  Indeed, inhibitors of a key replication protein called DDK (Dbf4-dependent kinase) are undergoing evaluation in clinical trials as anti-cancer therapeutics.  We have recently found that DDK also acts as a brake later in the cell division process, during mitosis, when replicated sister chromosomes are segregated between mother and daughter cells.  This is a totally new area for exploration.  Our lab utilizes two model systems to study DNA replication: baker’s yeast and human tissue culture cells.