How DNA ligase proteins help cells fix damaged DNA
Official title: DNA ligase activities during base excision repair coordination
Funded at University of Nebraska Medical Center · NIH-11456662 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how DNA ligase proteins help cells fix damaged DNA, which could eventually help people whose cancers are linked to DNA repair problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nebraska Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Omaha, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $153,365 |
| NIH project number | 7R35GM147111-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11456662 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with cancers that carry mutations in DNA polymerase beta (POLB) or XRCC1, or patients willing to donate tumor or blood samples for DNA repair research, are most directly connected to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without DNA repair–related cancers or those seeking immediate treatment options are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this lab-focused research.
What this research studies
Researchers will examine how DNA polymerase beta and DNA ligases (I and IIIα) coordinate the multi-step base excision repair pathway that fixes small DNA lesions. They will combine biochemical experiments, experiments using cancer-associated gene variants, and high-resolution structural imaging such as cryo-electron microscopy to see how the repair complex is assembled. The team will test how changes in the scaffolding protein XRCC1 or in polymerase beta cause repair to fail and produce harmful DNA intermediates. The goal is to explain mechanisms that can lead to genomic instability in cancer cells.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to detect or target cancers caused by failures in DNA repair.
How similar studies have gone: Related biochemical and structural studies have clarified other DNA repair complexes, but the specific role of ligases in coordinating base excision repair remains relatively underexplored.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Caglayan, Melike — University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Caglayan, Melike
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.