Xu-Dong Zhu - Department of Biology

All courses for every first-year Science student will be delivered online this fall. A limited number of students in their second, third and fourth years will return to campus for part of the semester.

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Xu-Dong Zhu

Contact Info

Title:

Professor

Office:

LSB 438

Phone:

(905) 525-9140 ext. 27737

Email:

...

Research

According to Canadian Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of premature death in Canada and an estimated one out of every four Canadians is expected to die from cancer. An underlying hallmark of cancer is genome instability, which can arise from the disruption of telomere maintenance. The Zhu laboratory is interested in elucidating the molecular mechanism by which human cells maintain their telomere integrity. Knowledge gained from these studies is expected to aid in the design of anti-cancer therapeutics and treatment of cancer patients. Currently the Zhu laboratory focuses on two research areas relevant to telomere maintenance and genome integrity: 1. Elucidating the role of post-translational modifications in telomere maintenance. 2. Elucidating the functional interaction between shelterin proteins and accessary factors.

Research Interests:

Cell and Developmental Biology; Genetics & Molecular Biology

Publications

Batenburg, N.L., Walker, J.R., Noodermeer, S.M., Moatti, N., Durocher, D. and Zhu, X.-D. (2017) ATM and CDK2 control chromatin remoderler CSB to inhibit RIF1 in DSB repair pathway choice. Nature Communications 8: 1921 doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02114-x
Ho, A., Wilson, F.R., Peragine, S.L., Jeyanthan, K., Mitchell, T.R.H. and Zhu, X.-D. (2016) TRF1 phosphorylation on T271 modulates telomerase-dependent telomere lengthen maintenance as well as the formation of ALT-associated PML bodies. Scientific Reports 6: 36913.
Wilson, F.R., Ho, A., Walker, J.R. and Zhu, X.-D. (2016) Cdk-dependent phosphorylation regulates TRF1 recruitment to PML bodies and promotes C-circle production in ALT cells. J. Cell Sci. 129, 2559-2572.
Tong, A.S., Stern, J.L., Sfeir, A., Kartawinata, M., de Lange, T., Zhu, X.-D. and Bryan, T.M. (2015) ATM and ATR signalling regulate the recruitment of human telomerase to telomeres. Cell Reports 13, 1633-1646.
Baternburg, N.L., Thompson, E.L., Hendrickson, E.A. and Zhu, X.-D. (2015) Cockayne syndrome group B protein regulates DNA double-strand break repair and checkpoint activation. EMBO J 34, 1399-1416.
Mitchell, T.R.H. and Zhu, X.-D. (2014) Methylated TRF2 associated with the nuclear matrix and serves as a potential biomarker for cellular senescence. Aging 6, 248-263.
McKerlie, M., Walker, J.R., Mitchell, T.R.H., Wilson, F.R. and Zhu, X.-D. (2013) Phosphorylated (pT371)TRF1 is recruited to sites of DNA damage to facilitate homologous recombination and checkpoint activation. Nucleic Acids Research 41, 10268-10282.
Batenburg, N.L., Mitchell, T.R.H., Leach, D.M., Rainbow, A.J. and Zhu, X.-D. (2012) Cockayne syndrome group B protein interacts with TRF2 and regulates telomere length and stability. Nucleic Acids Research 40, 9661-9674.
Walker, J.R., and Zhu, X.-D. (2012) Post-translational modifications of TRF1 and TRF2 and their roles in telomere maintenance. Mech. Ageing Dev. 133, 421-434.
McKerlie, M., Lin, S. and Zhu, X.-D. (2012) ATM regulates proteasome-dependent subnuclear localization of TRF1, which is important for telomere maintenance. Nucleic Acids Research 40, 3975-3989.
McKerlie, M. and Zhu, X.-D. (2011) Cyclin B-dependent kinase 1 regulates human TRF1 to modulate the resolution of sister telomeres. Nature Communications 2:371 doi: 10.1038/ncomms1372.
Mitchell, T.R.H., Glenfield, K., Jeyanthan, K. and Zhu, X.-D. (2009) Arginine methylation regulates telomere length and stability. Mol. Cell. Biol. 29, 4918-4934.
Wu, Y., Mitchell, T. R., and Zhu, X.-D. (2008) Human XPF controls TRF2 and telomere length maintenance through distinctive mechanisms. Mech. Ageing Dev. 129, 602-610.
Wu, Y., Xiao, S., and Zhu, X.-D. (2007) MRE11/RAD50/NBS1 and ATM function as comediators of TRF1 in telomere length control. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 14, 832- 840.
Wu, Y., Zacal N. J., Rainbow, A. J., and Zhu, X.-D. (2007) XPF with mutations in its conserved nuclease domain is defective in DNA repair but functions in TRF2-mediated telomere shortening. DNA Repair 6, 157-166.
Zhu, X.-D., Niedernhofer, L., Kuster, B., Mann, M., Hoeijmakers, J. H. J., and de Lange, T. (2003) ERCC1/XPF removes the 3’ overhang from uncapped telomeres and represses formation of telomeric DNA-containing double minute chromosomes. Molecular Cell 12, 1489-1498.
Zhu, X.-D., Kuster, B., Mann, M., Petrini, J. H. J., and de Lange, T. (2000) Cell cycle regulated association of Rad50/Mre11/Nbs1 with TRF2 and human telomeres. Nature Genetics 25, 347- 352.
Zhu, X.-D., and Sadowski, P. D. (1998) The role of single-stranded DNA in Flp-mediated strand exchange. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 4921-4927.
Zhu, X.-D., and Sadowski, P. D. (1998) Selection of novel, specific single-stranded DNA sequences by Flp, a duplex-specific DNA binding protein. Nucleic Acids Res. 26, 1329-1336.
Zhu, X.-D., and Sadowski, P. D. (1995) Cleavage-dependent Ligation by the Flp Recombinase: characterization of a mutant Flp protein with an alteration in a catalytic amino acid. J. Biol. Chem. 270, 23044-23054.
Zhu, X.-D., Pan, G., Luetke, K, and Sadowski, P. D. (1995) Homology Requirement for Ligation and Strand Exchange by the Flp Recombinase. J. Biol. Chem. 270, 11646-11653.

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Mailing Address

Department of Biology
McMaster University
Life Sciences Building, Room 218
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8S 4K1

Contact Information

Office Hours:
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telephone:
+1 (905) 525-9140 ext.24400
Email:
biology@mcmaster.ca

Mailing Address

Department of Biology
McMaster University
Life Sciences Building, Room 215
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8S 4K1

Contact Information

Office Hours:
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telephone:
+1 (905) 525-9140 ext.24400
Email:
biology@mcmaster.ca