# Project 2 Symington

> **NIH NIH P01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $359,494

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Most human cancer cells exhibit genome instability, ranging from elevated mutation rates (base substitutions
and indels) to chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) and aneuploidy. The application of next generation
sequencing (NGS) technologies to analyze cancer genomes has resulted in a wealth of information on the
spectrum of genomic instability, and led to the identification of specific mutation and CR signatures associated
with loss of different DNA repair pathways. The prevailing view is that CRs are generated through error-prone
processing of damaged chromosomes. Although the nature of the initiating lesions for CRs is unknown, much
of the genetic evidence from yeast and human cells implicates DNA replication errors as a source of the
broken chromosomes that fuel CRs. The two aims outlined in this proposal will address the source of initiating
lesions for CRs, and measure the frequency and spectra of CRs in wild type and repair-deficient cells in
response to defined DNA damage. In the first aim, we will induce site-specific DSBs using CRISPR-Cas9 in
yeast or human cells and determine the full spectrum of CRs in surviving cells. The experiments will be
performed in cells lacking specific components of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), homology-dependent
repair (HR) or DNA damage signaling pathways to determine how distinct types of CRs are suppressed. We
expect to define unique CR signatures for each deficiency that could guide identification of novel CR
signatures in tumor DNA. In the second aim, we will compare the types of CRs formed in response to a stalled
replication fork with CRs resulting from endonuclease-induced DSBs. We will use the bacterial Tus/Ter system
to create a site-specific stalled replication fork in yeast or human cells, identify the resulting types of CRs and
the factors that suppress different CR outcomes. The powerful genetic screens proposed should enable
identification of mutational events (base substitutions and indels) in addition to CRs and we will also
characterize these events and the repair pathways that suppress their formation. We expect the knowledge
garnered from these studies will aid in identifying new mutational signatures and their underlying pathologies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9855792
- **Project number:** 2P01CA174653-06
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Lorraine S Symington
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $359,494
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9855792

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9855792, Project 2 Symington (2P01CA174653-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9855792. Licensed CC0.

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