# The Replication Stress Response to Selective Stalling of the Leading and Lagging Strands

> **NIH NIH F32** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $15,377

## Abstract

PROPOSAL SUMMARY
 Current studies in DNA repair and the stress response interrogate unknown questions by stalling both
DNA strands (leading and lagging). However, the process of replication occurs differently on each strand, and
evidence in organisms such as bacteria demonstrate different responses when the leading or lagging strands
are specifically stalled. This proposal will investigate differences in the replication stress response when
obstacles and stalls are introduced into the leading and lagging strands in human cells for the first time. Using
multiple novel approaches, the proposal aims to specifically stall each replicating DNA strand. After selective
stalling I will assess replication fork progression rate, validate strand specific stalling, and characterize the
proteins recruited to the replication fork, while answering questions about fork reversal, repriming after a stall,
and signaling events that could not be previously interrogated. Although I expect differences in the replication
stress response when comparing a leading and lagging strand stall, any result would be the first
characterization of a strand-specific stall in human cells, representing both a challenge and opportunity.
Ultimately, this proposal will advance the DNA replication stress response field, establishing methods to
interrogate more physiological obstacles that dividing cells encounter daily.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10173625
- **Project number:** 5F32GM136096-02
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kavi Mehta
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $15,377
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10173625

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10173625, The Replication Stress Response to Selective Stalling of the Leading and Lagging Strands (5F32GM136096-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10173625. Licensed CC0.

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