James E Haber

James Haber and his lab are engaged in studying how breaks in the DNA double helix are repaired and in certain cellular processes that they initiate. Such DNA double strand breaks, or DSBs, can lead to chromosome instability and can be lethal if not repaired. DSBs may result from irradiation or mutagenic chemicals. They may also arise during DNA replication as a product of stalled replication forks and they can also arise in specialized processes such as mating type switching in yeast or during the process of creating immunoglobulins. Interest in DSBs also stems from the fact that DSBs sometimes result in aberrations such as chromosomal rearrangements which in some organisms can lead to the formation of cancers.