Her, Chengtao
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Research Interests
My laboratory is interested in the application of the state-of-the-art genomics and proteomics approaches to address fundamental questions related to mammalian DNA mismatch repair pathways. In particular, we are interested in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying mismatch repair genes in human cancer, as well as to study the roles of mismatch repair proteins in homologous recombination and other biological pathways facilitated by the identification and characterization of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions. All current on-going projects in the laboratory utilize a combination of molecular biology/genomics, protein engineering/proteomics, and gene targeting approaches.

A separate research interest of the laboratory is to develop a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based protein-protein interaction assay system. Proteins are the ultimate players involved in the vast majority of biological processes and in most cases their functions depend on specific protein-protein interactions. Obviously, one of the central focuses of the emerging field of proteomics is to develop multitasking assay systems for analyzing proteome-wide protein interactions.

Publications
Zhao, N., Zhu, F., Yuan, F., Haick, A.K., Fukushige, S., Gu, L., and Her, C.: The interplay between hMLH1 and hMRE11: role in MMR and the effects of hMLH1 mutations. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. (in press), 2008.

Yang, F., Gell, K., van der Heijden, G.W., Eckardt, S., Leu, N.A., Page, D.C., Benavente, R., Her, C., Hoog, C., McLaughlin, K.J., and Wang, P.J.: Meiotic failure in male mice lacking an X-linked factor.  Genes Dev. 22: 682-691, 2008.

Sekine, H., Ferreira, R.C., Pan-Hammarström, Q., Graham, R.R., Ziemba, B., de Vries, S.S., Liu, J., Hippen, K., Koeuth, T., Ortmann, W., Iwahori, A., Elliott, M.K., Offer, S., Skon, C., Du, L., Novitzke, J., Lee, A.T., Zhao, N., Tompkins, J.D., Altshuler, D., Gregersen, P.K., Cunningham-Rundles, C., Harris, R.S., Her, C., Nelson, D.L., Hammarström, L., Gilkeson, J.S., and Behrens, T.W.:  Role for Msh5 in the regulation of Ig class switch recombination.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 7193-8, 2007.

Her, C., Zhao, N., Wu, X., and Tompkins, J.D.: MutS Homologues hMSH4 and hMSH5: Diverse Functional Implications in Humans. Front. Biosci. 12: 905-911, 2007.

Yi, W., Lee, T.-H., Tompkins, J.D., Zhu, F., Wu, X., and Her, C.: Physical and functional interaction between hMSH5 and c-Abl.  Cancer Res. 66: 151-158, 2006. 

Lee, T.-H., Yi, W., Griswold, M.D., Zhu, F., and Her, C.: Formation of hMSH4-hMSH5 heterocomplex is a prerequisite for subsequent GPS2 recruitment.  DNA Repair 5: 32-42, 2006.  (Epub 2005 Aug. 22)

Yi, W., Wu, X., Lee, T.-H., Doggett, N.A., and Her, C.: Two variants of MutS homolog hMSH5: Prevalence in humans and effects on protein interaction. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 332: 524-532, 2005.

Vo, A. T., Zhu, F., Wu, X., Yuan, F., Gao, Y., Gu, L., Li, G.-M., Lee, T.-H., and Her, C.: hMRE11 deficiency leads to microsatellite instability and defective DNA mismatch repair. EMBO reports 6: 438–444, 2005.

Her, C., Wu, X., Griswold, M. D., and Zhou, F.: Human MutS homologue MSH4 physically interacts with von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor-binding protein 1 (VBP1).  Cancer Res. 63: 865-872, 2003.

Her, C., Vo, A.T., and Wu, X.: Evidence for a direct association of hMRE11 with the Human Mismatch Repair Protein hMLH1. DNA Repair 1: 719-729, 2002.