Research Interests

The copying of the genetic information with high fidelity and the transfer of this information to the next cell generation during cell division is essential for life as we know it. In addition of copying errors, genomic information can also be modified by chemical and physical damage to DNA. Several DNA repair mechanisms have evolved to remove mis-incorporated DNA nucleotides or DNA damage and restore the original DNA sequence. Multiple cancer-prone diseases show genomic instability and can be linked to a defective response to a specific type of DNA damage and a faulty DNA repair pathway.

The goal of my laboratory is to understand the biochemical mechanism of DNA mismatch repair with the emphasis of the connection of repair events or failed DNA repair to the cell cycle machinery and to apoptosis. We are investigating detailed interactions of all known proteins involved in these pathway(s). We have found several new interactions and interacting proteins which we study in detail.

Selected Publications

Schmutte, C. (2003): Chromosome Instability (CIN) in Cancer. Nature Encyclopedia of the Human Genome.

Schmutte, C., Sadoff, M. M., Shim, K.-S., Acharya, S., and Fishel, R. (2001). The interaction of DNA mismatch repair proteins with human exonuclease I. J. Biol. Chem., 276, 33011-33018.

Slupianek, A., Schmutte, C., Tombline, G., Kallal, L., Nieboroska-Skorska, M., Malecki, M. Fishel, R., Skorski, T. (2001). BCR/ABL Regulates the RAD51- Pathway Resulting in Drug Resistance. Mol. Cell, 8, 795-806.

Schmutte, C., and Fishel, R. (1999). Genomic instability: First step to carcinogenesis. Anticancer Res., 19, 4665-4696.

Schmutte, C., Tombline, G., Sadoff, M. M., and Fishel, R. (1999). Characterization of the human Rad51 genomic locus and mutational analysis of tumors with LOH at 15q14-15q15.1. Cancer Res, 59, 4564-4569.

Schmutte, C., Marinescu, R. C., Sadoff, M. M., Guerrette, S., Overhauser, J., and Fishel, R. (1998). Human exonuclease I interacts with the mismatch repair protein hMSH2. Cancer Res 58, 4537-4542.

Schmutte, C., Tombline, G., Sadoff, M. M., and Fishel, R. (1999). Characterization of the human Rad51 genomic locus and mutational analysis of tumors with LOH at 15q14-15q15.1. Cancer Res, 59, 4564-4569.

Schmutte, C., Yang, A., S., Nguyen, T., Beart, R., M., Jones, P., A. (1996): Mechanisms for the involvement of DNA methylation in colon carcinogenesis. Cancer Res., 56(10), 2375-2381.

(Please refer to PUBMED for a comprehensive publication list)

DNA Repair and Molecular Carcinogenesis Program home page.