Description:

Seminar Title: HPV and the DNA Damage Response 

Speaker: Laimonis Laimins, PhD/ Professor and Chair, Dept. of Microbiology-Immunology

Topic:

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the etiological agents of cervical cancer and are linked to the development of many other anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers. Replication of high-risk HPVs requires the activation of the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and ATM and Rad3-related (ATR) DNA repair pathways. Our studies show that HPVs activate these pathways by inducing breaks in primarily in cellular DNAs and minimally in viral genomes. Breaks are induced in viral genomes but are rapidly repaired through the preferential recruitment of homologous repair factors such as RAD51 and BRCA1 to HPV episomes. The preferential repair of breaks in viral genomes leads to amplification. Our study identifies a novel mechanism by which human papillomaviruses manipulate DNA repair pathways to productively replicate viral genomes. The induction of DNA breaks at a high rate in cellular DNAs likely contributes to the generation of mutations that leads to the development of cancers. 

Zoom Link:

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/92041626733

Meeting ID: 920 4162 6733