Publications by authors named "F Dobbs"

Article Synopsis
  • Mammalian DNA replication requires various helicases and nucleases for accurate genetic duplication, but the direction of these activities was previously unclear.
  • The study identifies USP50 as a crucial chromatin-associated protein that aids in ongoing replication, fork restart, and telomere maintenance, while also preventing DNA breaks.
  • USP50 works by ensuring the correct localization of other proteins like WRN and FEN1 during stalled replication, and its absence leads to increased activity of certain helicases and nucleases, causing replication issues and telomere instability.
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Mammalian DNA replication employs several RecQ DNA helicases to orchestrate the faithful duplication of genetic information. Helicase function is often coupled to the activity of specific nucleases, but how helicase and nuclease activities are co-directed is unclear. Here we identify the inactive ubiquitin-specific protease, USP50, as a ubiquitin-binding and chromatin-associated protein required for ongoing replication, fork restart, telomere maintenance and cellular survival during replicative stress.

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Article Synopsis
  • Understanding DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) is essential for evaluating chemical DNA damage and developing safe genome editing therapies.
  • Current DSB sequencing methods face challenges like high background noise and difficulty detecting low-frequency breaks, along with high costs.
  • INDUCE-seq offers a solution by enabling simultaneous detection of low-level endogenous DSBs and higher-level breaks, utilizing innovative NGS flow cell enrichment for more accurate measurements.
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Expansion of harmful algal bloom (HAB) species through ships' ballast water and sediment has been an increasing concern. Determining whether a microalgal cell, particularly for the toxic and HAB-forming species, is "viable" or "dead" is fundamental to understanding the effectiveness of the many ballast-water treatments that have been considered. To this end, we screened a variety of stains to assess the viability of dinoflagellate (Gymnodinium catenatum, GC) cysts and diatom (Corethron hystrix) vegetative cells to test the efficiency of ballast water treatments.

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Background: miR-346 was identified as an activator of Androgen Receptor (AR) signalling that associates with DNA damage response (DDR)-linked transcripts in prostate cancer (PC). We sought to delineate the impact of miR-346 on DNA damage, and its potential as a therapeutic agent.

Methods: RNA-IP, RNA-seq, RNA-ISH, DNA fibre assays, in vivo xenograft studies and bioinformatics approaches were used alongside a novel method for amplification-free, single nucleotide-resolution genome-wide mapping of DNA breaks (INDUCE-seq).

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