# MECHANISM AND REGULATION OF DNA RECOMBINATION IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

> **NIH NIH R01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $370,000

## Abstract

Most of a cell’s DNA is packaged into chromosomes located within the nucleus. An additional small circular
genome encoding only a few genes is located in the mitochondria. In some circumstances, cells release
extrachromosomal pieces of DNA from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), from the nuclear genome or in the form of
retrotransposon cDNA (rt-cDNA). There are two consequences of DNA fragment release. First, many organisms
activate an innate immune response that may result in chronic inflammation and cell death. This inflammation
may lead to severe diseases in human including some cases of heart failure, Parkinson’s disease or aging-
related chronic inflammation. Second, released DNA can be inserted at DNA double strand breaks (DSBs)
causing genome instability. Insertions of mtDNA, rt-cDNA and chromosome fragments destabilize the genome
and are common in cancer, whereas rare gene insertions at the V(D)J locus constitute a pathway of antibody
diversification. Despite a large body of evidence showing severe consequences of the release of DNA fragments,
it remains unknown what cellular events lead to its generation. The goal of this proposal is to understand the
mechanisms of free DNA formation and its insertion at DSBs. We will: (i) develop a high throughput method to
capture and sequence free DNA, (ii) understand the mechanism of insertion of free DNA at DSBs by
nonhomologous end joining and by alternative end joining, and (iii) decipher the mechanisms of linear DNA
fragment release from mitochondria and from the nuclear genome.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10209684
- **Project number:** 2R01GM080600-14
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Grzegorz A Ira
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $370,000
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2007-05-01 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10209684

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10209684, MECHANISM AND REGULATION OF DNA RECOMBINATION IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE (2R01GM080600-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10209684. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*