Efficient repair of DNA damage is essential for cellular survival. When cells face DNA damage from internal or external factors, multiple steps must be taken to ensure effective repair of damage as well as restoration of wild type growth.

Our lab is broadly interested in studying the regulation of DNA damage response and repair pathways in vivo.

At present, we are addressing the following questions in microbial systems:

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      a. Regulation of DNA damage response and repair clearance in bacteria

              How do cells recover after DNA damage onslaught

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      b. Regulation of pathway choice during repair

             Regulation and specificity of error-prone DNA polymerases

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      c. Molecular mechanism of double-strand break repair via homologous recombination

             How do double-strand break ends find their homologous partner

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      d. Mitochondrial DNA repair mechanisms

             How do cells regulate mitochondrial DNA damage response and repair

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We use a combination of live-cell imaging, super-resolution microscopy, high-throughput sequencing techniques as well as genetic and molecular biology assays to mechanistically understand how cells from all domains of life maintain genome integrity.