Robert Schiestl, PhD

Dr. Robert Schiestl's work focuses on basic mechanisms, genetic control and inducibility by carcinogens of homologous and illegitimate recombination, as well as molecular events involved in carcinogenesis. Experiments are carried out in yeast, human cells and in transgenic mice.

Current projects include determining inter-individual differences in DNA double-strand break repair efficiency in cells from radiation sensitive cancer patients with the aim of ultimately identifying new genes affecting cancer predisposition; determining the effects of mutations in DNA repair and DNA damage sensing genes such as Atm, p53, p21, Gadd45, rad52, Ku80, DNAPk, Ogg1, Myh, Bloom and Werner syndrome on spontaneous and carcinogen-induced genetic instability in mice; and determining basic mechanisms, genetic control and inducibility by carcinogens of DNA deletions, and illegitimate recombination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Reliene R, Schiestl RH. Antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine reduces incidence and multiplicity of lymphoma in Atm deficient mice. DNA Repair (Amst). 2006; 5(7): 852-9.

Kirpnick Z, Homiski M, Rubitski E, Repnevskaya M, Howlett N, Aubrecht J, Schiestl RH. Yeast DEL assay detects clastogens. Mutat Res. 2005; 582(1-2): 116-34.

Reliene R, Hlavacova A, Mahadevan B, Baird WM, Schiestl RH. Diesel exhaust particles cause increased levels of DNA deletions after transplacental exposure in mice. Mutat Res. 2005; 570(2): 245-52.

Reliene R, Fischer E, Schiestl RH. Effect of N-acetyl cysteine on oxidative DNA damage and the frequency of DNA deletions in atm-deficient mice. Cancer Res. 2004; 64(15): 5148-53.

Reliene R, Schiestl RH. Mouse models for induced genetic instability at endogenous loci. Oncogene. 2003; 22(45): 7000-10.