Plenary Session: Biemann Medal, Awarded to Yinsheng Wang of the University of California, Riverside.

Tuesday, 4:45 pm, Exhibit Hall A (lower level)

Yinsheng Wang of the University of California, Riverside, has focused his research on discovering the biological consequences of DNA damage and on unraveling mechanisms of action for anti-tumor drugs and environmental toxicants. His laboratory’s use and development of mass spectrometry, synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology enables us to understand and quantify, at the molecular level, how various DNA damage products are repaired, and how they perturb the efficient flow and fidelity of genetic information during DNA replication and transcription.

Wang has identified and characterized new DNA lesions, including bulky lesions induced by reactive oxygen species. His laboratory developed LC–MS-MS combined with a plasmid-based shuttle vector to quantitatively assess how structurally defined DNA lesions alter the frequency and efficiency of DNA replication and transcription in cells, and to measure the types and frequencies of mutations induced by lesions. They also discovered that N-2-(1-carboxyethyl)-2’-deoxyguanosine (N-2-CEdG) is the major stable DNA adduct derived from methylglyoxal, and demonstrated that it is the previously unknown endogenous substrate for DinB (polymerase IV).

Dr. Wang’s new methods have provided some long-sought biomarkers for oxidative stress: cyclopurine lesions including 8,5’-cyclo-2’-deoxyadenosine and 8,5’-cyclo-2’-deoxyguanosine.