Identifying the function of NEIL3 in the lentiviral replication cycle

NEIL3 is a DNA glycosylase which recognizes and removes oxidized nucleotides from DNA. The expression of NEIL3 is limited to proliferative tissue, including hematopoietic cells and stem cell compartments of the adult brain. Data from my Ph.D, thesis demon strates that cells deficient in NEIL3 have reduced differentiation capacity. In 2008, NEIL3 was identified as a potential host factor for HIV in a genome wide RNAi screen. Unpublished results from work at Oslo University Hospital (OUH) reveal that cells d erived from Neil3-deficient mice are more resistant to infection from a HIV derived vector than wild-type cells. However, limited experience and methodology in the field of lentivirus biology at the home institute has limited further progress of the proje ct. Dr. Stephen P. Goff is one of the leading researchers within retrovirology. He focuses on the interactions between retrovirus proteins and the host. With the expertise and the methods established in the Goff laboratory at Columbia University in New Yo rk, I want to study the function of NEIL3 in the viral replication cycle. We strongly believe that the collaboration between OUH and Columbia will unravel the underlying mechanisms NEIL3 on viral infections.