Graduate Student, Department of Cell Biology Mentor: Christopher Sansam, Ph.D.
krishanu-dhar@ou.edu
Over a human lifetime, cells undergo an estimated 10 quadrillion divisions, each requiring complete genome duplication before chromosome segregation. This process depends on precise coordination between DNA replication and mitotic entry, and its disruption can promote genome instability associated with developmental disorders, cancer, and age-associated functional decline. However, how cells sense insufficient replication initiation and communicate this defect to the mitotic-entry machinery remains poorly understood. Using genetic and biochemical approaches in cultured human cells and zebrafish embryos, I investigate this connection to understand how replication defects promote genome instability and human diseases.