Immediate opening for postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Priscilla K. Cooper at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to address novel issues in understanding efficient repair of oxidative damage to DNA in human cells.  Research will focus upon  characterizing the biochemical basis for the pivotal activities of XPG in DNA repair.  The multi-functional protein XPG is a crucial player both in transcription-coupled repair of oxidative damage and in nucleotide excision repair (NER) of UV damage and carcinogen adducts.
Different defects in XPG result in either the hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum, which is characterized by extreme susceptibility to skin cancer, or Cockayne syndrome, which is characterized by severe developmental defects.

Research by the Cooper laboratory at LBNL suggests that the function of XPG in the repair of oxidative damage is separate from its function in NER and involves interactions of XPG with DNA repair glycosylases specific for oxidatively damaged bases.  Work will include expression, purification, and characterization of wild type and mutant XPG as well as dynamic interactions with a multi-disciplinary team focused upon multicomponent protein complexes essential for genomic stability.  XPG biochemical research will define its interactions with DNA and with other DNA repair enzymes, including DNA glycosylases and AP endonucleases associated with base-excision repair and TFIIH associated with transcription-coupled repair.  Both molecular biology expertise and experience with protein expression and purification desirable. This funded position is part of a multi-disciplinary program project pilot study with Dr. John A. Tainer, The Scripps Research Institute, as co-P.I.  Current parallel supporting research in the Tainer lab includes biochemical and structural studies on XPG homolog FEN-1, which acts in DNA replication and repair.  Opportunities include the potential to integrate biochemical results with structural and functional studies characterizing XPG.

Superb facilities and environment.

Send letter or e-mail stating interests with c.v. and names of three references to:

     Priscilla K. Cooper
     Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
     Life Sciences Division, Building 934
     University of California
     1 Cyclotron Road
     Berkeley, CA 94720
     E-mail:  PKCooper@lbl.gov

Recent Relevant Publications:

Cooper, P. K., Nouspikel, T., Clarkson, S. G., and Leadon S. A.  "Defective
Transcription-Coupled Repair of Oxidative Base Damage in Cockayne Syndrome
Patients from XP Group G." Science 275, 990-993 (1997)

Nouspikel, T., Lalle, P., Leadon, S. A., Cooper, P. K., and Clarkson, S. G.
"A Common Mutational Pattern in Cockayne Syndrome Patients from Xeroderma
Pigmentosum Group G: Implications for a Second XPG Function."  Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA 94, 3116-3121 (1997).

Hosfield, D. J., Mol, C. D., Shen, B. and Tainer, J.A., (1998). "Crystal
structures of the DNA repair and replication endo- and exonuclease FEN-1:
implications for coupling DNA repair and PCNA binding to enzymatic
activity."  Cell, in press.