Experimental Approaches
Biochemistry
What is Biochemistry?
Biochemistry is a field of chemistry that studies biology. In other words, biochemists study the chemistry of compounds and processes occurring in organisms. In the Wyatt lab, our main goal is to understand the structure, function, and interactions of proteins and nucleic acids that enable life.
Biochemical Techniques
We purify proteins (using bacteria, yeast, and insect cell expression systems), and use a battery of biophysical, protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction assays to characterize their functions. Whenever possible, we collaborate with structural biologists to obtain atomic level details for our proteins.
Molecular Biology
What is Molecular Biology?
Molecular biology is the study of biology on a molecular level including the structure, function, and composition of biologically important molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. This field has substantial overlap with biochemistry. In the Wyatt lab, we study the molecular biology of DNA-binding proteins that have key roles in DNA repair and chromosome stability.
Molecular Biology Techniques
The Wyatt lab studies how proteins function in human cells. We use complementary techniques, such as western blots, microscopy, coimmunoprecipitations, and phenotypic tests to address our research questions. Some of the most common questions we ask involve: i) protein expression, post-translational modifications and sub-cellular localization, ii) protein-protein interactions throughout the cell cycle and in response to DNA-damage, iii) how nucleases are recruited to specific regions of the genome, and iv) how defects in nuclease function impact DNA repair and genome stability.
The 'Omics'
Proteomics
We are using proximity-dependent biotinylation identification (bioID) to define the interactomes of human SLX1 and SLX4 throughout the various phases of the cell cycle, as well as in response to clinically-relevant DNA damaging agents.
Genomics
The development and advancements in CRISPR-Cas9 based technology means that it is now possible to perform large-scale genetic screens in human cells. We are harnessing the power of this cutting-edge technology to gain new insights into: i) the biological circuits that require the actions of structure-selective endonucleases and ii) the molecular mechanisms that human cells utilize to regulate homologous recombination.