Katharina Schlacher
Department of Cancer Biology, Division of VP, Research
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Cancer Biology, Division of Basic Science Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Research Interests
Our research program focuses on understanding replication fork protection, which likely is a novel tumor and disease suppression pathway. Specifically, we have recently discovered a new pathway for DNA replication fork protection involving breast cancer and Fanconi Anemia tumor susceptibility genes distinct from DNA repair, which suppresses genomic instability by stabilizing RAD51 filaments to protect against nucleolytic degradation of stalled replication forks. With a now growing list of known tumor suppressors protecting nascent DNA strands, our research is set out to obtain key knowledge on the role of this new pathway in patient tumor cells, during transcription and in metabolism to eventually devise effective treatment strategies.
For more information go to www.schlacherlab.com.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2006 | University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, PHD, Molecular Biology |
| 2003 | Karl-Franzens University, Graz, AUT, Magistra Rerum Naturales, Microbiology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2008-2013 | Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of California, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2007-2013 | Post-Doctoral Fellow, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Developmental Program, New York, NY |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Senior Research Scientist, Division of Developmental Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2013 - 2014
Senior Research Scientist, Department of Department for Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2013 - 2014
Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Department for Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2008 - 2013
Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Developmental Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2007 - 2013
Endowed Positions
Fellow, Rita Allen Foundation, Houston, 2016 - Present
Fellow, Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Houston, 2016 - 2017
Scholar in Cancer Biology, CPRIT, Houston, TX, 2014 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2016 | Sabin Family Foundation Fellow, Andrew Sabin Family Foundation |
| 2016 | Rita Allen Foundation Scholar, Rita Allen Foundation |
| 2014 | CPRIT scholar in Cancer Biology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2014 | UT Rising STARs Award, UT STARs Program |
| 2012 | Nomination to Blavatnik Award, New York Academy of Sciences |
| 2012 | MSKCC Postdoctoral Research Award, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
| 2011 | Parvin Foundation Award for academic excellence and lasting contributions to postdoctoral research in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of California |
| 2011 | Molecular Biology Institute Research Excellence Award for outstanding postdoctoral research in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of California |
| 2011 | Nomination to Chancellor’s Award for exceptional accomplishment in postdoctoral research, University of California |
| 2011 | EMS Best New Investigator Platform Presentation Award, selected from over 85 presentations by students and new investigators, Environmental Mutagen Society |
| 2010 | Award in recognition for best oral presentation by a postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California |
| 2007 | Berger Foundation Fellowship Award, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation |
| 2006 | College Doctoral Research Prize in recognition for outstanding research by a Ph.D. student, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Ma S, Pradeep S, Villar-Prados A, Wen Y, Bayraktar E, Mangala LS, Kim MS, Wu SY, Hu W, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Leuschner C, Liang X, Ram PT, Schlacher K, Coleman RL, Sood AK. GnRH-R targeted lytic peptide sensitizes BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer to PARP inhibition. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30926640.
- Lazarchuk P, Roy S, Schlacher K, Sidorova J. Detection and Quantitation of Acetylated Histones on Replicating DNA Using In Situ Proximity Ligation Assay and Click-It Chemistry. Methods in Molecular Biology 1983:29-45, 2019. PMID: 31087291.
- Roy, S, Schlacher, K. SIRF: A Single-cell Assay for in situ Protein Interaction with Nascent DNA Replication Forks. Bio-protocols, 2019.
- Roy S, Luzwick JW, Schlacher K. SIRF: Quantitative in situ analysis of protein interactions at DNA replication forks. Journal of Cell Biology 217(4):1521-1536, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29475976.
- Roy S, Tomaszowski KH, Luzwick JW, Park S, Li J, Murphy M, Schlacher K. p53 orchestrates DNA replication restart homeostasis by suppressing mutagenic RAD52 and POLθ pathways. eLife 7, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29334356.
- Tian Y, Shen X, Wang R, Klages-Mundt NL, Lynn EJ, Martin SK, Ye Y, Gao M, Chen J, Schlacher K, Li L. Constitutive role of the Fanconi anemia D2 gene in the replication stress response. Journal of Biological Chemistry 292(49):20184-20195, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29021208.
- Gadhikar MA, Zhang J, Shen L, Rao X, Wang J, Zhao M, Kalu NN, Johnson FM, Byers LA, Heymach J, Hittelman WN, Udayakumar D, Pandita RK, Pandita TK, Pickering CR, Redwood A, Piwnica-Worms H, Schlacher K, Frederick MJ, Myers JN. CDKN2A/p16 deletion in head and neck cancer cells is associated with Cdk2 activation, replication stress, and vulnerability to Chk1 inhibition. Cancer Research. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29229598.
- Xu S, Wu X, Wu L, Castillo A, Liu J, Atkinson E, Paul A, Su D, Schlacher K, Komatsu Y, You MJ, Wang B. Abro1 maintains genome stability and limits replication stress by protecting replication fork stability. Genes and Development 31(14):1469-1482, 2017. PMID: 28860160.
- Liu W, Zhou M, Li Z, Li H, Polaczek P, Dai H, Wu Q, Liu C, Karanja KK, Popuri V, Shan SO, Schlacher K, Zheng L, Campbell JL, Shen B. A Selective Small Molecule DNA2 Inhibitor for Sensitization of Human Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy. EBioMedicine 6:73-86, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27211550.
- Guo C, Kumagai A, Schlacher K, Shevchenko A, Shevchenko A, Dunphy WG. Interaction of Chk1 with Treslin Negatively Regulates the Initiation of Chromosomal DNA Replication. Molecular Cell 5(3):492-505, 2015. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25557548.
- Schlacher K, Wu H, Jasin M. A distinct replication fork protection pathway connects Fanconi anemia tumor suppressors to RAD51-BRCA1/2. Cancer Cell 22(1):106-16, 2012. PMID: 22789542.
- Siaud N, Barbera MA, Egashira A, Lam I, Christ N, Schlacher K, Xia B, Jasin M. Plasticity of BRCA2 function in homologous recombination: genetic interactions of the PALB2 and DNA binding domains. PLoS Genetics 7(12):e1002409, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 22194698.
- Schlacher K, Christ N, Siaud N, Egashira A, Wu H, Jasin M. Double-strand break repair-independent role for BRCA2 in blocking stalled replication fork degradation by MRE11. Cell 145(4):529-42, 2011. PMID: 21565612.
- Schlacher K, Goodman MF. Lessons from 50 years of SOS DNA-damage-induced mutagenesis. Nat Rev Molecular Cell Biology 8(7):587-94, 2007. PMID: 17551516.
- Schlacher K, Cox MM, Woodgate R, Goodman MF. RecA acts in trans to allow replication of damaged DNA by DNA polymerase V. Nature 442(7105):883-7, 2006. PMID: 16929290.
- Schlacher K, Pham P, Cox MM, Goodman MF. Roles of DNA polymerase V and RecA protein in SOS damage-induced mutation. Chemical Review 106(2):406-19, 2006. PMID: 16464012.
- Schlacher K, Jiang Q, Woodgate R, Goodman MF. Purification and characterization of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase V. Methods of Enzymology 408:378-90, 2006. PMID: 16793381.
- Schlacher K, Leslie K, Wyman C, Woodgate R, Cox MM, Goodman MF. DNA polymerase V and RecA protein, a minimal mutasome. Molecular Cell 17(4):561-72, 2005. PMID: 15721259.