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Ghodke, Harshad Dr.

Research Fellow

  • Centre for Medical and Molecular Bioscience
  • Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health
  • School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience

Overview

Using a multidisciplinary approach combining genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and single-molecule biophysics, I study how cells conduct DNA repair and maintain genomic integrity.

Top Publications

Research Overview

  • DNA is the blueprint of life. It contains all the information that cells need to live and reproduce. Unfortunately, cellular metabolism as well as exposure to the environment can result in damage to the DNA. Unrepaired DNA damage can be fatal and correcting damage in genomic DNA is essential  for the continued proliferation of cellular life. DNA damage can impede fundamental cellular activities such as DNA replication, transcription and recombination. My research focuses on how cells identify damage in genomic DNA, and correct it. 

    Specifically, I am interested in understanding the structural and biochemical properties of DNA repair proteins that allow these factors to recognise sites of DNA damage, recruit downstream repair factors and handoff damage sites for further processing. 

    Understanding how DNA repair proteins act inside individual bacterial cells is important to understand how antimicrobial resistance evolves in response to DNA damaging antibiotics. Similarly, in case of humans, DNA repair activities lead to cancer therapeutic resistance.

    To understand how cells conduct DNA repair, we have pioneered cutting-edge microscopy approaches that allow us to 'see' individual proteins inside living cells. Using lasers, high-resolution microscopes and fluorescently tagged DNA repair factors, we can monitor where DNA repair occurs inside cells for the first time. These methods allowed us to not only characterise key properties of protein-DNA interactions inside cells, but also to propose new models that describe how DNA repair occurs in a rapidly changing cellular environment.

    Beyond resulting in high-impact papers this research is establishing novel methodologies and assembling an unprecedented look into how cells maintain genomic integrity. These approaches allow us to identify key sub-complexes and assemblies that can be targeted to mitigate antibiotic resistance. Ultimately, this work is critical to identify novel therapeutics that can prolong the use of antibiotics in a post-antibiotic era.

Available as Research Supervisor

Available for Collaborative Projects

Selected Publications

Available as Research Supervisor

Potential Supervision Topics

  • Problems at the interface of DNA repair, replication, recombination and transcription

Advisees

  • Graduate Advising Relationship

    Degree Research Title Advisee
    Doctor of Philosophy The role of translesion DNA synthesis in the development of antibiotic resistance Cherry, Megan
    Doctor of Philosophy Dynamic Iinteractions of E. coli Accessory Helicases Rep and UvrD with Stalled Replication Forks Whinn, Kelsey
    Doctor of Philosophy Investigating the role of recombination mediator proteins in the formation and resolution of single-strand gaps during the E. coli DNA damage response using single molecule live cell imaging. Studying replication-transcription conflicts at the singl... Sharma, Nischal

Keywords

  • DNA repair
  • biochemistry
  • single-molecule biophysics
  • single-molecule fluorescence

Full Name

  • Harshad Ghodke

Mailing Address

  • 42.216 Molecular Horizons

    University of Wollongong

    Wollongong

    NSW

    2522

    Australia

Top Publications

Research Overview

  • DNA is the blueprint of life. It contains all the information that cells need to live and reproduce. Unfortunately, cellular metabolism as well as exposure to the environment can result in damage to the DNA. Unrepaired DNA damage can be fatal and correcting damage in genomic DNA is essential  for the continued proliferation of cellular life. DNA damage can impede fundamental cellular activities such as DNA replication, transcription and recombination. My research focuses on how cells identify damage in genomic DNA, and correct it. 

    Specifically, I am interested in understanding the structural and biochemical properties of DNA repair proteins that allow these factors to recognise sites of DNA damage, recruit downstream repair factors and handoff damage sites for further processing. 

    Understanding how DNA repair proteins act inside individual bacterial cells is important to understand how antimicrobial resistance evolves in response to DNA damaging antibiotics. Similarly, in case of humans, DNA repair activities lead to cancer therapeutic resistance.

    To understand how cells conduct DNA repair, we have pioneered cutting-edge microscopy approaches that allow us to 'see' individual proteins inside living cells. Using lasers, high-resolution microscopes and fluorescently tagged DNA repair factors, we can monitor where DNA repair occurs inside cells for the first time. These methods allowed us to not only characterise key properties of protein-DNA interactions inside cells, but also to propose new models that describe how DNA repair occurs in a rapidly changing cellular environment.

    Beyond resulting in high-impact papers this research is establishing novel methodologies and assembling an unprecedented look into how cells maintain genomic integrity. These approaches allow us to identify key sub-complexes and assemblies that can be targeted to mitigate antibiotic resistance. Ultimately, this work is critical to identify novel therapeutics that can prolong the use of antibiotics in a post-antibiotic era.

Selected Publications

Potential Supervision Topics

  • Problems at the interface of DNA repair, replication, recombination and transcription

Advisees

  • Graduate Advising Relationship

    Degree Research Title Advisee
    Doctor of Philosophy The role of translesion DNA synthesis in the development of antibiotic resistance Cherry, Megan
    Doctor of Philosophy Dynamic Iinteractions of E. coli Accessory Helicases Rep and UvrD with Stalled Replication Forks Whinn, Kelsey
    Doctor of Philosophy Investigating the role of recombination mediator proteins in the formation and resolution of single-strand gaps during the E. coli DNA damage response using single molecule live cell imaging. Studying replication-transcription conflicts at the singl... Sharma, Nischal

Keywords

  • DNA repair
  • biochemistry
  • single-molecule biophysics
  • single-molecule fluorescence

Full Name

  • Harshad Ghodke

Mailing Address

  • 42.216 Molecular Horizons

    University of Wollongong

    Wollongong

    NSW

    2522

    Australia

Visualisations

  Publication History
 

Research Areas