Doctor Liza Cubeddu

• Qualifications
• Biography
• Research
• Selected Publications
• Grants/Current Projects
• Teaching Interests
• Awards/Honours
• Professional Activities

Qualifications

PhD; BTechnology (Hons 1)

Biography

Dr Liza Cubeddu is a protein biochemist. She uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the biological and structural basis of key processes in DNA repair. Liza obtained her B.Tech (Biotech) Hons in 1998 and her PhD in Biological Chemistry in 2002 from Macquarie University, where she worked on proteins that make up the spliceosome. Liza held a Wellcome Trust International Post-doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of St Andrews (UK), where she commenced her work on DNA repair proteins in a model organism. She returned to Australia in 2006 to take up a National Breast Cancer Foundation Fellowship at the University of Sydney where she shifted her research focus to new human DNA repair proteins; this discovery was published in Nature in 2008.

Liza joined the University of Western Sydney in August 2011 as a Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry; she continues to hold an honorary appointment as a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. Liza relocated the DNA Repair research group to UWS, where they will continue their fruitful exploits into understanding the mechanisms of the DNA damage response and how DNA repair proteins can be developed as useful cancer therapeutic targets.

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Research

Liza's research is focused on understanding:

• The role of the new DNA repair protein hSSB2 in response to ultraviolet radiation damage (sunlight)
• The role of the new DNA repair protein hSSB1 in the repair of lethal DNA double-strand breaks
• The diverse DNA damage response functions of both hSSB1 and hSSB2 and discovering novel binding partners
• How DNA is repaired in the context of chomatin.

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Selected Publications

Richard, D.J., Cubeddu, L., Urquhart, A., Bain, A., Bolderson, E., Menon, D., White, M.F., & Khanna, K.K. (2011). hSSB1 interacts directly with the MRN complex stimulating its recruitment to DNA double strand breaks and its endo-nuclease activity. Nucleic Acids Res 39, pp3643-3651.

Richard, D.J., Savage, K., Bolderson, E., Cubeddu, L., So, S., Ghita, M., Chen, D.J., White, M.F., Richard, K., Prise, K.M., Schettino, G., & Khanna, K.K. (2011). hSSB1 rapidly binds at the sites of DNA double-strand breaks and is required for the efficient recruitment of the MRN complex. Nucleic Acids Res 39, pp1692-1702.

Sobti, M., Cubeddu, L., Haynes, P., & Mabbutt, B.C. (2010). Engineered rings of mixed yeast Lsm proteins show differential interactions with translation factors and U-rich RNA. Biochemistry 49, pp2335-45.

Matthews, J.M., Bhati, M., Lehtomaki, E., Mansfield, R.E., Cubeddu, L., & Mackay, J.P. (2009). It takes two to tango: the structure and function of LIM, RING, PHD and MYND domains. Curr Pharm Des 15, pp3681-96.

Swarbrick, J.D., Cubeddu, L., Ball, G.E., Curmi, P.M., Gooley, A.A., Williams, K.L., & Mabbutt, B.C. (2009). NMR assignment of prespore specific antigen--a cell surface adhesion glycoprotein from Dictyostelium discoideum. Biomol NMR Assign 3, pp1-3.

Richard, D.J., Bolderson, E., Cubeddu, L., Wadsworth, R.I., Savage, K., Sharma, G.G., Nicolette, M.L., Tsvetanov, S., McIlwraith, M.J., Pandita, R.K., Takeda, S., Hay, R.T., Gautier, J., West, S.C., Paull, T.T., Pandita, T.K., White, M.F., & Khanna, K.K. (2008). Single-stranded DNA-binding protein hSSB1 is critical for genomic stability. Nature 453, pp677-81.

Cubeddu, L., & Matthews J.M. (2008). RBBP8 – CtIP. Targeted Proteins Database 1 21824.

Richards, J.D., Cubeddu, L., Roberts, J., Liu, H., & White, M.F. (2008). The archaeal XPB protein is a ssDNA-dependent ATPase with a novel partner. J Mol Biol 376, pp634-44.

Morgan, H.P., Estibeiro, P., Wear, M.A., Max, K.E., Heinemann, U., Cubeddu, L., Gallagher, M.P., Sadler, P.J., & Walkinshaw, M.D. (2007). Sequence specificity of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins: a novel DNA microarray approach. Nucleic Acids Res 35, e75.

Cubeddu, L., & White, M.F. (2005). DNA damage detection by an archaeal single-stranded DNA-binding protein. J Mol Biol 353, pp507-16.

Kerr, I.D., Wadsworth, R.I., Cubeddu, L., Blankenfeldt, W., Naismith, J.H., & White, M.F. (2003). Insights into ssDNA recognition by the OB fold from a structural and thermodynamic study of Sulfolobus SSB protein. EMBO J 22, pp2561-70.

Collins, B.M., Cubeddu, L., Naidoo, N., Harrop, S.J., Kornfeld, G.D., Dawes, I.W., Curmi, P.M., & Mabbutt, B.C. (2003). Homomeric ring assemblies of eukaryotic Sm proteins have affinity for both RNA and DNA. Crystal structure of an oligomeric complex of yeast SmF. J Biol Chem 278, pp17291-8.

Underwood, P.A., Bean, P.A., & Cubeddu, L. (2001). Human endothelial cells grow poorly on vitronectin: role of PAI-1. J Cell Biochem 82, pp98-109.

Cubeddu, L., Moss, C.X., Swarbrick, J.D., Gooley, A.A., Williams, K.L., Curmi, P.M., Slade, M.B., & Mabbutt, B.C. (2000). Dictyostelium discoideum as expression host: isotopic labeling of a recombinant glycoprotein for NMR studies. Protein Expr Purif 19, pp335-42.

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Grants/Current Projects

2011 – 2013: ARC Discovery Grant – Co-chief investigator with Prof Jacqueline Matthews. University of Sydney.
2011: University of Sydney NHMRC Equipment Grant.
2010 – 2012: NHMRC Project Grant – Sole chief investigator. University of Sydney/UWS.
2007 – 2009: Association for International Cancer Research – International Project Grant as sole principal investigator. University of Sydney.
2006 – 2009: National Breast Cancer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (only two awarded Nationally in 2006). School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney.
2003 – 2005: Wellcome Trust International Travelling Research Fellowship (International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program). University of St Andrews, UK.

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Awards /Honours

2010: Science at the Shine Dome – Early Career Researcher. Selected to represent University of Sydney Faculty of Science.

2009: Featured in “Sydney Science” Magazine – Featured cancer researcher in University of Sydney Faculty of Science publication.

2007: Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) International Postdoctoral Fellowship for the FEBS 2007 Conference, Vienna, Austria.

2004: Young Researcher Award, Runner Up – 3rd Workshop on the Archaea 2004, St Andrews, UK.

2000: Macquarie University Postgraduate Research Grant – DVC (Research) commendation.

1999–2001: Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship, Macquarie University.

1998: Macquarie University Chemistry Postgraduate Scholarship in Protein Chemistry.

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Teaching Interests

• Mechanisms of DNA Repair for undergraduate biochemistry
• Biochemistry

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Professional Activities

Reviewer for NHMRC project grants.

Member of The Australian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Member of The Biochemical Society.

National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF):

• Speaker Bureau (from 2009) – Speaking about breast cancer prevention during Pink Ribbon Month
• NBCF Global Illumination Campaign (2008) – Representing University of Sydney breast cancer research

The Sydney Protein Group [The Australian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Special Interest Group] – Secretary.

• East Coast Protein Meeting 2009, Coffs Harbour – Organised/chaired this national meeting for early career researchers.
• Organised six local conferences, seminars, student prize evenings and writing pieces for ASBMB Australian Biochemist Magazine.

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