Structural biology of disease-associated repetitive DNA sequences and protein-DNA complexes involved in DNA damage and repair

This project is aimed at formulating the sequence-structure-function correlations of various microsatellites in the human (and other eukaryotic) genomes. Here the authors have been able to develop and apply structure biology tools to understand the following: the molecular mechanism of length polymorphism microsatellites; the molecular mechanism by which the microsatellites in the noncoding regions alter the regulation of the associated gene; and finally, the molecular mechanism by which the expansion of these microsatellites impairs gene expression and causes the disease. Their multidisciplinary structural biology approach is quantitative and can be applied to all coding and noncoding DNA sequences associated with any gene. Both NIH and DOE are interested in developing quantitative tools for understanding the function of various human genes for prevention against diseases caused by genetic and environmental effects