Dr. Richard Wood

Genetics
K. Arndt
T.-L. Ashman
G. Campbell
D. Chapman
G. Hatfull
J. Hildebrand
L. Jacobson
S. Kalisz
J. Martens
W. Saunders
B. Stronach
S. Tonsor
R. Wood

Microbiology
J. Boyle
G. Hatfull
R. Hendrix
J. Lawrence
J. Pipas
M. Popa
R.L. Duda
S. Godfrey
V. Oke

Molecular Biology
K. Arndt
J. Franzen
P. Grabowski
G. Hatfull
R. Hendrix
L. Jen-Jacobson
J. Martens
C. Peebles
J. Pipas
J. Rosenberg
A. Schwacha
C. Walsh

Plant Biology
T.-L. Ashman
W. Carson
S. Kalisz
V. Oke
C. Partanen
S. Tonsor
B. Traw

Science Education
A. Bledsoe
K. Curto
L. Daniels
S. Godfrey
N. Kaufmann
C. LaFave
J. Newman
E. Polinko
M. Popa
L. Roberts
T. Seiflein
R. Sherwin
A. Slinskey Legg

Structural Biology
M. Grabe
J. Hempel
R. Hendrix
L. Jen-Jacobson
J. Rosenberg
A. VanDemark

Former Faculty

Photo of Dr.
Wood

Cellular responses to DNA damage in human cells

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Wood received his Ph.D. in 1981 with H. John Burki at the University of California at Berkeley, performed his postdoctoral studies at Yale University and at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, and joined the Department in 2001.

Currently, Dr. Wood is co-sponsoring graduate students in his laboratory. Dr. Wood is accepting undergraduate researchers, and does sponsor students in other laboratories.

Professional Interests - Publications - Contact Information - Lab Personnel

Professional Interests of Richard Wood

Many enzymes and regulatory proteins are devoted to the repair of DNA damage. This is necessary because genes are continually assaulted by agents inside cells and from the environment. Much of the work in our laboratory has concentrated on the biochemical mechanism of the DNA nucleotide excision repair pathway in human cells, and we have reconstituted this repair process in the test tube with 25 separate purified proteins. It is important to study DNA repair for two reasons. First, it is the front line defense against DNA damage. Unrepaired DNA damage can lead to mutations that can accumulate to cause cancer. Second, some of the compounds used in cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy work by damaging DNA. The success of therapy with such agents is affected by repair in normal and tumor tissues. A deeper understanding of DNA repair should allow us to modulate the process in tumors in ways that could improve cancer therapy.

Ongoing projects include biochemical studies of how cells repair cross-links between DNA strands, investigation of newly discovered DNA polymerases that help tolerate DNA damage, genetic analysis of these enzymes in mouse models, and exploration of the role of DNA repair in the sensitivity of tumors to chemotherapeutic drugs.

Dr. Wood is the leader of the Molecular and Cellular Oncology Program.

Publication Archive
125 Citations
122 Abstracts
43 PDFs

Recent Publications of Richard Wood

Arana, M.E., K. Takata, M. Garcia-Diaz, R.D. Wood, and T.A. Kunkel (2007) A unique error signature for human DNA polymerase nu. DNA Repair 6:213-223

Masuda, K., R. Ouchida, M. Hikida, T. Kurosaki, M. Yokoi, C. Masutani, M. Seki, R.D. Wood, F. Hanaoka, and J. O-Wang (2007) DNA Polymerases {eta} and {theta} Function in the Same Genetic Pathway to Generate Mutations at A/T during Somatic Hypermutation of Ig Genes. J. Biol. Chem. 282:17387-17394

Friedberg, E.C., and R.D. Wood (2007) New insights into the combined Cockayne/xeroderma pigmentosum complex: human XPG protein can function in transcription factor stability. Mol. Cell 26:162-164

Friedberg, E.C., A. Aguilera, M. Gellert, P.C. Hanawalt, J.B. Hays, A.R. Lehmann, T. Lindahl, N. Lowndes, A. Sarasin, and R.D. Wood (2006) DNA repair: from molecular mechanism to human disease. DNA Repair 5:986-996

Yoshimura, M., M. Kohzaki, J. Nakamura, K. Asagoshi, E. Sonoda, E. Hou, R. Prasad, S.H. Wilson, K. Tano, A. Yasui, L. Lan, M. Seki, R.D. Wood, H. Arakawa, J.M. Buerstedde, H. Hochegger, T. Okada, M. Hiraoka, and S. Takeda (2006) Vertebrate POLQ and POLbeta cooperate in base excision repair of oxidative DNA damage. Mol. Cell 24:115-125

Biggerstaff, M., and R.D. Wood (2006) Repair synthesis assay for nucleotide excision repair activity using fractionated cell extracts and UV-damaged plasmid DNA. Methods Mol Biol 314:417-434

Shivji, M.K., J.G. Moggs, I. Kuraoka, and R.D. Wood (2006) Assaying for the dual incisions of nucleotide excision repair using DNA with a lesion at a specific site. Methods Mol. Biol. 314:435-456

Takata, K., T. Shimizu, S. Iwai, R.D. Wood, J.Y. Kim, W. Zeng, K. Kiselyov, J.P. Yuan, M.H. Dehoff, K. Mikoshiba, P.F. Worely, and S. Muallem (2006) Human DNA polymerase N (POLN) is a low fidelity enzyme capable of error-free bypass of 5S-thymine glycol. J. Biol. Chem. 281:23445-23455

Wood, R.D., M. Mitchell, and T. Lindahl (2005) Human DNA repair genes, 2005. Mutat. Res. 577:275-283

Wittschieben, B.O., S. Iwai, and R.D. Wood (2005) DDB1-DDB2 (XPE) protein complex recognizes a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer, mismatches, AP sites and compound lesions in DNA. J. Biol. Chem. 280:39982-39989 (PDF Reprint: 543 kb)

Thorel, F., A. Constantinou, I. Dunand-Sauthier, T. Nouspikel, P. Lalle, A. Raams, N.G. Jaspers, W. Vermeulen, M.K. Shivji, R.D. Wood, and S.G. Clarkson (2004) Definition of a short region of XPG necessary for TFIIH interaction and stable recruitment to sites of UV damage. Mol. Cell Biol. 24:10670-10680 (PDF Reprint: 673 kb)

Welsh, C., R. Day, C. McGurk, J.R. Masters, R.D. Wood, and B. Koberle (2004) Reduced levels of XPA, ERCC1 and XPF DNA repair proteins in testis tumor cell lines. Int. J. Cancer 110:352-361

Seki, M., C. Masutani, L.W. Yang, A. Schuffert, S. Iwai, I. Bahar, and R.D. Wood (2004) High-efficiency bypass of DNA damage by human DNA polymerase Q. EMBO J 23:4484-4494 (PDF Reprint: 342 kb)

Thorel, F., A. Constantinou, I. Dunand-Sauthier, T. Nouspikel, P. Lalle, A. Raams, N.G. Jaspers, W. Vermeulen, M.K. Shivji, R.D. Wood, and S.G. Clarkson (2004) Definition of a short region of XPG necessary for TFIIH interaction and stable recruitment to sites of UV damage. Mol Cell Biol. 24:10670-10680

Winter, D.B., Q.H. Phung, R.D. Wood, and P.J. Gearhart (2000) Differential expression of DNA polymerase epsilon in resting and activated B lymphocytes is consistent with an in vivo role in replication and not repair. Mol. Immunol. 37:125-131

Batty, D., V. Rapic'-Otrin, A.S. Levine, and R.D. Wood (2000) Stable binding of human XPC complex to irradiated DNA confers strong discrimination for damaged sites. J. Mol. Biol. 300:275-290

Kuraoka, I., W.R. Kobertz, R.R. Ariza, M. Biggerstaff, J.M. Essigmann, and R.D. Wood (2000) Repair of an interstrand DNA cross-link initiated by ERCC1-XPF repair/recombination nuclease. J. Biol. Chem. 275:26632-26636 (PDF Reprint: 322 kb)

Wittschieben, J., M.K. Shivji, E. Lalani, M.A. Jacobs, F. Marini, P.J. Gearhart, I. Rosewell, G. Stamp, and R.D. Wood (2000) Disruption of the developmentally regulated Rev3l gene causes embryonic lethality. Curr. Biol. 10:1217-1220

How to Contact Richard Wood

US Mail
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

5117 Center Avenue, Research Pavilion, Suite 2.6
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Phone, FAX, Internet
Office : (412) 623-7762
Lab : (412) 623-7803
FAX : (412) 623-7761
Email : rdwood+@pitt.edu
Web : http://www.pitt.edu/~rdwood/

This Site is maintained by the Bioscience Webmaster; this page was last modified 24 August 2008