Haseltine, Cynthia
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Research Interests

Cells must maintain genomic integrity to ensure accurate inheritance of genetic information by the next generation. A number of cellular mechanisms have evolved to correct damage to DNA. Homologous recombination is one of these pathways and is the primary mechanism for repair of double-strand breaks caused by ionizing radiation or chemical exposure. Incorrectly repaired double-strand breaks can lead to unsuccessful chromosome segregation and translocations, which are hallmarks of cancerous cells. Although numerous studies have concentrated on examination of mechanisms of recombinational repair in yeast and higher eukaryotes, these investigations have been hampered by the complexity of these model systems.

Archaea comprise the third domain of life and while most of their intermediary metabolic processes strongly resemble those observed in eubacteria, their genomic informational processes (transcription, translation, replication, etc.) are more closely related to those found in eukaryotes. Examination of simpler recombination mechanisms in the archaea is likely to elucidate the more intricate eukaryotic mechanisms.

e use the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeal acidophile Sulfolobus solfataricus as a model system to study recombination mechanisms in the archaea. This microbe thrives in hot, acidic, terrestrial volcanic hot springs, including those found in Yellowstone National Park. We are examining the function of recombination components in Sulfolobus using both in vitro and in vivo approaches, with the goal of understanding the basic mechanisms of this important biological process.

Publications (2000 - current)

Haseltine, C. and S. Kowalczykowski. 2002. A distinctive single-stranded DNA- binding protein from the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Mol. Micro. 43(6):1505-1515.

Seitz EM, Haseltine CA, Kowalczykowski SC. 2001. DNA recombination and repair in the archaea. Adv. Appl. Microbiol. 50:101-169.

Haseltine C, T. Hill T, R. Montalvo-Rodriguez, S. Kemper, R. Shand, and P. Blum. 2001. Secreted euryarchaeal microhalocins kill hyperthermophilic crenarchaea. J. Bacteriol. 183:287-291 .

Montalvo-Rodriguez R., C. Haseltine, K. Huess-LaRossa, T. Clemente, J. Soto, P. Staswick, and P. Blum. 2000. Autohydrolysis of plant polysaccharides using transgenic hyperthermophilic enzymes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 70:151-9.