Rose Mary Roshan
- Institute of Molecular Biology Mainz
- Siyao Wang lab
- Project 17. DNA polymerase Theta (POLΘ) on mediating R-Loop-induced genome instability.
- Indian
“R-loops could be the hero or villain, depending on context. My work on Polθ, A DNA damage repair protein, which could potentially unwind RNA-DNA hybrids sparked my interest on how these two interact at sites of DNA damage.”
I study how Polθ mediates repair of double strand breaks by utilizing regions of microhomologies within the lesion, a process that is inherently mutagenic. This error-prone pathway is used in paternal germline which contributes to genetic variation. Many contexts of increased Polθ activity, such as replication stress and cancer are also characterized by R-loop accumulation. Given that the helicase domain of Polθ has shown to unwind RNA-DNA hybrids invitro, I hypothesize that it may play an important role in resolving detrimental R-loops. Using C.elegans as model system, I will delve into mechanistic interplay between R-loops and Polθ in context of paternal germline mutations and DNA damage.
Reading/audiobooks, badminton, puzzles.
2021 – 2022: Master of Science: IISER – Pune, India.
2017 – 2021: Bachelor of Science: IISER – Pune, India.