16 January 2024 – On longer timescales, errors in DNA replication have been essential in human evolution, from enabling our upright posture to the growth of our brains. On shorter timescales, they keep Hana Polasek-Sedlackova up at night. “My team studies the molecular mechanisms that ensure successful DNA replication in dividing cells,” says Polasek-Sedlackova, a group leader at the Institute of Biophysics at the Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno. “One of the tools that we use is fluorescence microscopy: we leave the microscope running overnight, and sometimes it’s difficult to sleep awaiting the results! It’s an incredible feeling to discover something new and unexpected, such as a new protein whose function is essential for error-free genome duplication.”
“DNA replication is a beautiful and intricate process where at the beginning of cell division identical copies of the cell’s DNA are produced and then inherited by daughter cells. However, when control mechanisms go wrong, a phenomenon that is essential for life can paradoxically cause harmful mutations that can lead to serious diseases, such as cancer. By studying the molecular pathways that are essential for error-free DNA replication, we hope to shine light on fundamental mechanisms of how the process is coupled with cell cycle control, how the genome is protected, and ultimately help to inform the development of drugs and therapies.”
EMBO Installation Grants open up access to research facilities that Polasek-Sedlackova says will be of substantial benefit to her group’s work. “I am absolutely honoured and privileged to become an EMBO Installation Grantee,” she says. “My grant enables anyone in my team to access core facilities at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory: this will enable us to take our research to the next level. The grant also provides us with tremendous networking, mentoring and training opportunities. I am particularly looking forward to furthering my leadership skills, embarking on collaborations with others in the EMBO communities and also being an ambassador for EMBO in the Czech Republic.”
