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Errol Friedberg, MD
Integrative Biology
Contact Information
UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75390
Office Phone: 214-648-1652
errol.friedberg@utsouthwestern.edu
To make an appointment, call 214-645-8300.
Biography
Research in my laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of DNA repair and mutagenesis in eukaryotes and the roles of these processes in cancer associated with both spontaneous DNA damage and that caused by environmental carcinogens. The human hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is characterized by defective DNA repair and an increased predisposition to cancer caused by environmental agents. XP is genetically complex and is represented by multiple unlinked genes. We have used cloned human genes as probes to isolate homologous mouse genes in order to generate mouse mutant models for investigating the molecular pathology of XP, and the relationships between defective DNA repair and cancer predisposition. We have identified a gene in humans that encodes a novel DNA polymerase (one of multiple such novel polymerases recently discovered) which is involved in the generation of spontaneous mutations in cells. The physiological function(s) of this novel DNA polymerase is presently unknown and is being investigated in mutant mice generated by conventional and conditional knock-out strategies. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a powerful eukaryotic model system because of its genetic and molecular versatility and because yeast genes for DNA repair and mutagenesis are highly conserved in humans. Present studies are focused on understanding newly discovered relationships between DNA repair and functions of the 19S regulatory complex of the proteasome.
Education
| Residency | MetroHealth Medical Center (1966) |
| Residency | University of the Witwatersrand (1964) |
| Internship | King Edward VIII Hospital (1962) |
| Medical School | University of Witwatersrand (1961) |
Research Interests
Publications
Friedberg, E. C. , Nature , 2003; (421):436-439
Friedberg, E. C. , Nature Reviews Cancer , 2001; (1):22-33
Nahari, D., McDaniel, L., Task, L. B., Daniel, R. L., Velasco-Miguel, S. and Friedberg, E. C. , DNA Repair , 2004; (3):379-386
Friedberg, E. C., McDaniel, L. and Schultz, R. A. , Curr. Opin. Genet. Devel. , 2004; (14):5-10
Guo, C., Fischhaber, P. L., Luk-Paszyc, M., Masuda, Y., Zhou, J., Kisker, K. and Friedberg. E. C. , EMBO J. , 2004; (22):6621-6630
Friedberg, E. C. and Fischhaber, P.L. , Encyclopedia of the Human Genome , 2003; (2):167-171
Related Links
Honors/Awards
American Academy of Dermatology (2007)
University of the Witwatersrand (2002)
University of Pittsburgh (2002)
American Society for Investigative Pathology (2000)
Royal College of Pathologists (1988)