Human Genetic Marker for Resistance to Radiations and Chemicals

The major objective of this project is to understand the genetic basis for resistance of humans to radiations and chemicals. In the fission yeast S. pombe, a gene called rad9 plays a key role in promoting resistance to DNA damaging agents and controlling cell cycle progression after radiation or chemical exposure. This investigation focuses on the characterization of a human homologue of this yeast gene, called HRAD9, with the longterm goal of developing the gene as a genetic marker to predict inherent susceptibility to the deleterious health effects caused by DNA damage. The aims concern a molecular characterization of HRAD9 and determination of its role in mediating the cellular response to radiations and chemicals, as well as its potential role in carcinogenesis