O'Sullivan Lab - Labs - University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology

Roderick J. O'Sullivan, PhD

The O’Sullivan lab at the Hillman Cancer Center conducts research into proteins that alter the structural and epigenetic functions of human telomeres. Telomeres are structures at the ends of chromosomes – the integrity of telomeres is an important factor in maintaining genome stability to prevent cancer and accelerated aging. Current efforts in the lab relate to deciphering the relationship between the regulation between chromatin structure and telomere function in the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres pathway.

Song-My Hoang

(MED '19)

Advisor

Roderick J. O'Sullivan, PhD

Dissertation

Control of telomeric homology-directed repair by poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism (2019)

Nicole Kaminski

Journal Articles

Evgeniia Prokhorova, Thomas Agnew, Anne R Wondisford, Michael Tellier, Nicole Kaminski, Danique Beijer, James Holder, Josephine Groslambert, Marcin J Suskiewicz, Kang Zhu, Julia M Reber, Sarah C Krassnig, Luca Palazzo, Shona Murphy, Michael L Nielsen, Aswin Mangerich, Dragana Ahel, Jonathan Baets, Roderick J O'Sullivan, Ivan Ahel. Unrestrained poly-ADP-ribosylation provides insights into chromatin regulation and human disease. Molecular Cell.2021 Jun 17;81(12):2640-2655.e8.
doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.04.028. Epub 2021 May 20.

Hoang SM, Kaminski N, Bhargava R, Barroso-González J, Lynskey ML, García-Expósito L, Roncaioli JL, Wondisford AR, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, James DI, Waddell ID, Ogilvie D, Smith KM, da Veiga Leprevost F, Mellacharevu D, Nesvizhskii AI, Li J, Ray-Gallet D, Sobol RW, Almouzni G, O'Sullivan RJ. Regulation of ALT-associated homology-directed repair by polyADP-ribosylation. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2020 Dec;27(12):1152-1164. doi: 10.1038/s41594-020-0512-7. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PMID: 33046907 PMCID: PMC7809635

Kaminski, N.A. and Wong, E.A. (2018) Differential mRNA expression of nutrient transporters in male and female chickens. Poultry Science, (97)1: 313–318, https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pex262

Michelle Lynskey

Journal Articles

Hoang SM, Kaminski N, Bhargava R, Barroso-González J, Lynskey ML, García-Expósito L, Roncaioli JL, Wondisford AR, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, James DI, Waddell ID, Ogilvie D, Smith KM, da Veiga Leprevost F, Mellacharevu D, Nesvizhskii AI, Li J, Ray-Gallet D, Sobol RW, Almouzni G, O'Sullivan RJ. Regulation of ALT-associated homology-directed repair by polyADP-ribosylation. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2020 Dec;27(12):1152-1164. doi: 10.1038/s41594-020-0512-7. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PMID: 33046907 PMCID: PMC7809635

Barroso-González J, García-Expósito L, Hoang SM, Lynskey ML, Roncaioli JL, Ghosh A, Wallace CT, de Vitis M, Modesti M, Bernstein KA, Sarkar SN, Watkins SC, O'Sullivan RJ. RAD51AP1 Is an Essential Mediator of Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres. Mol Cell. 2019 Oct 3;76(1):11-26.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.06.043. Epub 2019 Aug 7. PMID: 31400850 PMCID: PMC6778027

Roderick J. O'Sullivan, PhD

Journal Articles

O’Sullivan RJ, Arnoult N, Lackner DH, Oganesian L, Haggblom C, Corpet A, Almounzi G and Karlseder J. Rapid induction of the alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway by depletion of the histone chaperone ASF1. Nat Struct Mol Biol 21:167-174, 2013.

O’Sullivan R and Karlseder J. The great unravelling: Chromatin as a modulator of the aging process. Trends Biochem Sci 37:466-476, 2012.

Corpet A, De Koning L, Toedling J, Savignoni A, Berger F, Lemaitre C, O’Sullivan RJ, Karlseder J, Barrilot E, Asselain B, Sastre-Garau X and Almouzni G. Asf1b, the necessary Asf1 isoform for proliferation, is predictive of outcome in breast cancer. EMBO J 30:480-493, 2011.

Flynn RL, Centore RC, O’Sullivan RJ, Rai R, Tse A, Songyang Z, Chang S, Karlseder J and Zou L. TERRA and hnRNPA1 orchestrate an RPA-to-POT1 switch on telomeric single-stranded DNA. Nature 471:532-526. 2011.

O'Sullivan RJ and Karlseder J. Telomeres: protecting chromosomes against genome instability. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 11:171-81, 2010.

O’Sullivan RJ, Kubicek S, Schreiber SL and Karlseder J. Reduced histone biosynthesis and chromatin changes arising from a damage signal at telomeres. Nat Struct Mol Biol 17:1218-1226, 2010.

Kubicek S, O'Sullivan RJ, August EM, Hickey E, Mechtler K, Rea S, Farina P, Homon C, Kelly T and Jenuwein T. Reversal of H3K9me2 by a small-molecule inhibitor for the G9a histone methyltransferase. Mol Cell 25:473-481, 2007.

Anne Wondisford

Journal Articles

Prokhorova E, Agnew T, Wondisford AR, Tellier M, Kaminski N, Beijer D, Holder J, Groslambert J, Suskiewicz MJ, Zhu K, Reber JM, Krassnig SC, Palazzo L, Murphy S, Nielsen ML, Mangerich A, Ahel D, Baets J, O'Sullivan RJ, Ahel I. Unrestrained poly-ADP-ribosylation provides insights into chromatin regulation and human disease. Mol Cell. 2021 Jun 17;81(12):2640-2655.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.04.028. PMID: 34019811; PMCID: PMC8221567.

Hoang SM, Kaminski N, Bhargava R, Barroso-González J, Lynskey ML, García-Expósito L, Roncaioli
JL, Wondisford AR, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, James DI, Waddell ID, Ogilvie D, Smith KM, da Veiga
Leprevost F, Mellacharevu D, Nesvizhskii AI, Li J, Ray-Gallet D, Sobol RW, Almouzni G, O'Sullivan RJ.
Regulation of ALT-associated homology-directed repair by polyADP-ribosylation. Nat Struct Mol Biol.
2020 Oct 12. doi: 10.1038/s41594-020-0512-7. PMID: 33046907 PMCID: PMC7809635