Research Interests:
The Van Houten lab uses a single molecule approach to study how DNA is repaired via the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. The XPA protein plays a critical, yet poorly understood, part in both transcription-coupled and global genomic NER. My research aims to characterize the role and detailed behavior of XPA by directly observing its interaction with DNA and other NER partners. I use a combination of biochemistry, single molecule fluorescence microscopy, and atomic force microscopy.
Education:
B.A. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Colby College, 2010
PhD Advisor: Dr. Ben Van Houten
Lab Address:
Hillman Cancer Center Research Pavilion Lab 2.1
5117 Centre Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
email: beckwitt[AT]pitt.edu
Publications:
- Kong M, Beckwitt EC, Springall L, Kad NM, Van Houten B. Single-Molecule Methods for Nucleotide Excision Repair: Building a System to Watch Repair in Real Time. Methods in Enzymology, DNA Repair Enzymes, Part B, Volume 592, Academic Press, 2017, 592:213-257
- Beckwitt E, Kong M, Van Houten B. Studying Protein-DNA Interactions Using Atomic Force Microscopy. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2017 Jun 30. pii: S1084-9521(17)30127-1
- Beckwitt EC, Van Houten B. Molecular cartography of mutational landscapes in melanomas. EMBO J. 2017 Oct 2;36(19):2812-2814.
- Klein HL, Ang K, Arkin MR, Beckwitt EC, et al. Guidelines for DNA recombination and repair studies: Mechanistic assays of DNA repair processes. Microbial Cell. 2019 Jan 7; 6(1): 65–101.
