James C. Wang

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Harvard University
Fairchild Building
7 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
tel: (617) 495-1901 fax: (617) 495-0758
Wang Web Page

Structural and functional studies of DNA and DNA-protein interaction

The work of this group focuses on interaction between proteins and between protein and DNA. Examples of such studies are the mechanisms by which the DNA topoisomerases manipulate DNA strands; the architecture of ternary complexes of DNA; DNA topoisomerases and anticancer drugs; the nature of genetically silent loci in Escherichia coli and yeast; the interplay between transcription and supercoiling of intracellular DNA; the chemical and photochemical probing of protein and protein-nucleic acid interfaces; and the effect of intracellular DNA structure on genome stability.

Selected Publications:

Berger, J. M., Gamblin, S. J., Harrison, S. C., and Wang, J. C., Structure at 2.7 A resolution of a 92K yeast DNA topoisomerase II fragment, Nature, 379, 225 -232 (1996).

Roca, J., and Wang, J.C., The probabilities of supercoil removal and decatenation by yeast DNA topoisomerase II, Genes to Cells 1, 17 -27 (1996).

Hanai, R., Caron, P. R., and Wang, J. C., Human TOP3: A single-copy gene encoding DNA topoisomerase III. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 3653 -3657 (1996).