Molecular Biology Program

The John Petrini Lab

John Petrini, PhD

Chair, Molecular Biology Program, SKI; Director, The Functional Genomics Initiative; Paul A. Marks Chair in Molecular Cell Biology

Work in our laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular transactions that govern chromosome stability and replication. The association of cancer predisposition and other pathology with mutations that affect chromosomal metabolism forms the basis of our interest in this process. In this regard, we focus on a conserved multiprotein complex that includes Mre11, Rad50, and Nbs1 in mammals or Xrs2 in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae. Our laboratory has isolated and characterized the human Mre11 complex, hMre11, hRad50, and Nbs1. We proved that an analogue of the S. cerevisiae Mre11 complex exists in human cells, and subsequently established definitive evidence that the yeast and human complexes mediate double-strand break repair in S. cerevisiae and mammalian cells, respectively. Our data suggest that in human cells, the complex acts as a sensor of DNA damage that participates in the activation of cell cycle checkpoints following g-irradiation.

View Lab Overview

VIDEO | 02:00

Go inside the lab of John Petrini from SKI’s Molecular Biology Program.

Video Details

Featured News

Feature

Molecular biologist John Petrini of the Sloan Kettering Institute.

Understanding the DNA-Damage “First Responders”: John Petrini at Work

Scientists know that cancer can result from mistakes in DNA repair. But understanding what controls the repair process itself has been a hard nut to crack.

Pictured: John H.J. Petrini, Molecular Biologist

At Work: Molecular Biologist John Petrini

In identifying proteins critical to DNA repair, molecular biologist John Petrini may expand knowledge of how unrepaired DNA damage can lead to cancer.

Publications Highlights

Wardlaw, C., Petrini, J.H., (2023) A Link Between Innate Immune Signaling and DNA Replication. Bioessays. PMC10473822.

Belhadj, S., Khurram, A., Bandlamudi. C., Ravichandran, V., Steinsnyder, Z., Wildman, T., Catchings, A., Kemel, Y., Mukherjee, S., Arora, K., Mehine, M., Dandiker, S., Izhar, A., Petrini, J.H., Domchek, S., Nathanson, K., Brower, J., Couch, F., Stadler, Z., Robson, M., Walsh, W., Vijai, J., Berger, M., Topka, S., Offit, K., (2023) NBN pathogenic germline variants are associated with pan-cancer susceptibility and in vitro DNA damage response defects. Clin. Cancer Res. 17;29 (2):422-431. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-1703. PMC9843434

Wardlaw, C., Petrini, J.H., (2022) ISG15 Conjugation to Proteins on Nascent DNA Mitigates DNA Replication Stress. 10;13(1):5971. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33535-y. Nat Commun. PMC9550767

Ghisays, F., Garzia,A., Wang, H., Canasto-Chibuque, C., Hohl, M., Savage. S.A., Tuschl T., Petrini, J.H. (2021) RTEL1 Influences the Abundance and Localization of TERRA RNA. Nat. Commun. PMC8140157

Hohl, M., Mojumar, A., Hailemariam, S. Kuryavi, V., Ghisays, F., Sorenson, K., Chang, M., Taylor, B.S., Patel, D., Burgers, P.M., Cobb, J.A., Petrini, J.H. (2020) Modeling Cancer Genomic Data in Yeast Reveals Selection Against ATM Function During Tumorigenesis. PLos Genet., 16 (3): e1008422

View All Publications

People

John Petrini, PhD

Chair, Molecular Biology Program, SKI; Director, The Functional Genomics Initiative; Paul A. Marks Chair in Molecular Cell Biology

Molecular biologist John Petrini investigates the repair of chromosomal breaks and the activation of the DNA-damage-induced cell-cycle checkpoints.
PhD, University of Michigan Medical School

[email protected]: Email Address
212-639-2927: Office Phone
Download CV: PDF File

Members

Tarsha Barton
Lead Administrative Assistant & Internal Competition Coordinator (FGI)

Marcel Hohl, Research Fellow — Marcel Hohl
Senior Research Scientist

Claudia Canasto, Sr. Research Technician & Lab Manager — Claudia Canasto
Research Tech/Lab Manager

Chris Wardlaw, PhD — Chris Wardlaw
Research Associate

Lab Affiliations

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs

Career Opportunity

The work in our lab is focused on the DNA damage response (DDR), a network of functions comprising DNA damage signaling, DNA repair, and DNA damage dependent cell cycle regulation. With an overarching interest in chromosome biology, the laboratory employs yeast and mice to undertake genetic, molecular biological, and biochemical analyses of these pathways with a goal of understanding the DDR’s role in tissue homeostasis, development, and tumor suppression. Experience in these research areas is preferred, as are candidates interested in multi-disciplinary approaches

Apply now

Get in Touch

[email protected]

Lab Head Email
212-639-2927

Office Phone
646-422-2062

Office Fax
212-639-7795 / 7890

Lab Phone
646-422-2062

Lab Fax

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

John Petrini discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Atropos Therapeutics, Inc.
Equity
Novus Biologicals
Professional Services and Activities

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2022 through disclosure submission in spring 2023). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].

View all disclosures