Home » Elizabeth Rose Lotsof

Elizabeth Rose Lotsof

Elizabeth Rose Lotsof

LinkedIn

Education: 

B.A. Chemistry: Biochemistry Concentration, Cum Laude

Minors in Educational studies and Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis

From: Chicago, Illinois

Joined the David Lab: January 2017

Outside of lab: I enjoy kickboxing, skiing, music concerts, dancing and baking.

Research in David Lab:

The NEIL family of DNA glycosylases are critical enzymes to maintaining the integrity of the genome. They initiate the base excision repair (BER) pathway by cleaving the N-glycosidic bond between the oxidatively damaged base and the sugar. NEIL1 and NEIL3 have a unique ability to excise a wide variety of substrates and remove lesions from alternative DNA contexts. Because of these abilities, I am currently evaluating the ability of NEIL1 and NEIL3 to excise oxidative base damage from G-quadruplex structures. G-quadruplexes DNA structures that occur in sequences that contain three or four adjacent guanines, which can Hoogsteen hydrogen-bond together to from a G-quartet. These G-quartets will stack together with a central K+ or Na+ ion to stabilize the structure in a variety of conformations. What makes the G-quadruples so notable is their location in the promoter sequences of many oncogenes and BER glycosylases, NEIL1 and NEIL3, and they have been implicated in down- or up-regulating gene transcription. Additionally, due to their high G content, G-quadruplexes are prime spots for oxidative damage necessitating repair by the BER pathway. NEIL’s ability to cleave from such structures suggest a dynamic relationship between DNA repair and gene regulation.

Previous Research Experience:

I previously worked as a Research Coordinator for the NorthShore University Health System’s Division of Urogynecology, where I studied the factors that impact patient persistence with urological medication and the relationship between different Urogynecological surgeries and their post-operative results, in addition to managing ongoing clinical trials.  In addition to my research work, I am passionate about science communication and accessibility and helping those with rare genetic diseases. I hope to one day have a career with a biotechnology company focused on therapeutics for individuals with rare genetic diseases.

RSS Science Daily News

  • Could catnip become the new insect repellent? March 4, 2021
    New research may have people heading to their backyard instead of the store at the outset of this year's mosquito season.
  • Did woolly mammoths overlap with first humans in what is now New England? March 4, 2021
    Woolly mammoths may have walked the landscape at the same time as the earliest humans in what is now New England, according to a new study. Through the radiocarbon dating of a rib fragment from the Mount Holly mammoth from Mount Holly, Vt., the researchers learned that this mammoth existed approximately 12,800 years ago. This […]
  • Origin of life: The chicken-and-egg problem March 2, 2021
    New research shows that slight alterations in transfer-RNA molecules (tRNAs) allow them to self-assemble into a functional unit that can replicate information exponentially. tRNAs are key elements in the evolution of early life-forms.
  • Neanderthals had the capacity to perceive and produce human speech March 1, 2021
    Neanderthals -- the closest ancestor to modern humans -- possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study.
  • The right '5-a-day' mix is 2 fruit and 3 vegetable servings for longer life March 1, 2021
    Higher consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of death in men and women, according to data representing nearly 2 million adults. Five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, eaten as 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables, may be the optimal amount and combination for a longer life. […]

Contact:

Dr. Sheila S. David
ssdavid@ucdavis.edu
(530)-752-4280

Department of Chemistry
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616