Mike E. O’Donnell

The paper identifies and redesigns energetically frustrated regions in a defective T4 clamp loader to restore function through conformational balance and stability.

This study shows Dpb11 binds ssDNA and recruits Mec1-Ddc2 to ss-dsDNA junctions, facilitating checkpoint activation by bridging DNA gaps.

This paper shows the E. coli DnaX clamp loader uses DNA bending instead of unwinding to load β-clamp at nicks and small gaps, revealing a distinct bacterial mechanism for DNA repair.

This study reveals a non-catalytic role for RFC in stabilizing PCNA-Polδ interactions during DNA synthesis, essential for processive replication.

This study shows DNA polymerase α-primase can bypass oxidized or hydrolyzed template nucleotides, explaining why it lacks a proofreading exonuclease.

This study uses cryo-EM to reveal the proofreading mechanism of the human Pol ε/PCNA holoenzyme, showing how mismatches are processed with PCNA's influence.

The paper compares reverse transcriptase activity of seven yeast DNA polymerases, finding that Pol {zeta} is the most active.