Towle-Weicksel Lab
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About the Lab

Hello and welcome to Towle-Weicksel lab! We are undergraduate research lab interested in understanding how DNA polymerases function within the context of DNA repair and cancer. The A-family DNA polymerase, Pol Theta (θ or POLQ) is of particular interest to us as it is a DNA polymerase that is thought to be involved in several DNA repair pathways. Our goal is to characterize Pol θ through a variety of classical biochemical and biophysical techniques to understand the basic function of the DNA polymerase at a molecular level.

Current Lab Members

Img lab-pi

Dr. Towle-Weicksel
Lab PI
jtowleweicksel@ric.edu
2015–Present

Corey Thomas
Laboratory Manager/Alum
cthomas@ric.edu
2019–Present
Sydney Green
Student/Alum
sgreen@ric.edu
2022–Present
Gian Bowling
Undergraduate Student
gbowling_5257@email.ric.edu
2025–Present
Maxine Wo
Undergraduate Student
mwo_4497@email.ric.edu
2025–Present
Collins Omolo
Undergraduate Student
comolo_8861@email.ric.edu
IDK–Present
Michael Zajac
Undergraduate Student
mzajac_7919@email.ric.edu
2025–Present

Lab Alumni

Lisbeth Avalos
Laboratory Manager
2017
Jorge Victorino
Post-Baccalaureate Fellow
2019
Scarlet Santos
Undergraduate Student
2019
Floralba Parra
Undergraduate Student
2021
Livvie Atkins
Undergraduate Student
2023
Melonnie Furgason
Associate Professor
2020
Sokkim Hout
Undergraduate Student
2020
Sandy Lastor
Undergraduate Student
2023
Morgan Andrews
Undergraduate Student
2021
Lauren Gunasti
Undergraduate Student
2019
Ayodeji Olusola
Undergraduate Student
2017
Afia Islam
Undergraduate Student
2019
Ashley Rebelo
Graduate Student
2018
Gregory Rebelo
Undergraduate Student
2018
Miles Erickson
Undergraduate Student
2019
Marat Barnhart
Undergraduate Student
2019

Publications

Zebrafish Polymerase Theta and human Polymerase Theta: Orthologues with homologous function
Corey Thomas, Sydney Green, Lily Kimball, Isaiah R. Schmidtke, Lauren Rothwell, Makayla Griffin, Ivy Par, Sophia Schobel, Yayleene Palacio, Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel, Steven E. Weicksel
Published: April 29, 2025
Melanoma-Derived DNA Polymerase Theta Variants Exhibit Altered DNA Polymerase Activity
Corey Thomas, Lisbeth Avalos-Irving, Jorge Victorino, Sydney Green, Morgan Andrews, Naisha Rodrigues, Sarah Ebirim, Ayden Mudd, Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel*
Published: April 26, 2024
Using single-molecule FRET to probe the nucleotide-dependent conformational landscape of polymerase β-DNA complexes
Carel Fijen, Mariam M. Mahmoud, Meike Kronenberg,Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel, Joann B. Sweasy, Johannes Hohlbein
Published: July 2020
Characterizing the role of POLQ variants in genomic instability and cancer
Sreerupa Ray, Francesca Sheld, Avery Moen, Lisbeth Avalos, Jorge Victorino, Jamie Towle-Weicksel
Published: April 18, 2020
Cancer-associated variants of POLQ induce genomic instability
Ashley Headrick, Sahaj Wanchu, Lisbeth Avalos, Jorge Victorino, Jamie Towle-Weicksel, Sreerupa Ray
Published: April 01, 2019
I260Q DNA polymerase β highlights precatalytic conformational rearrangements critical for fidelity
Cary Liptak, Mariam M Mahmoud, Brian E Eckenroth, Marcus V Moreno, Kyle East, Khadijeh S Alnajjar, Ji Huang, Jamie B Towle-Weicksel, Sylvie Doublié, J Patrick Loria, Joann B Sweasy
Published: September 17, 2018
Defective Nucleotide Release by DNA Polymerase β Mutator Variant E288K Is the Basis of Its Low Fidelity
Mariam M Mahmoud, Allison Schechter, Khadijeh S. Alnajjar, Ji Huang, Jamie Towle-Weicksel, Brian E. Eckenroth, Sylvie Doublie, Joann B. Sweasy
Published: September 25, 2017
Remote Mutations Induce Functional Changes in Active Site Residues of Human DNA Polymerase β
Brian E. Eckenroth, Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel, Antonia A. Nemec, Drew L. Murphy, Joann B. Sweasy, Sylvie Doublie
Published: April 12, 2017
Estrogen Drives Cellular Transformation and Mutagenesis in Cells Expressing the Breast Cancer–Associated R438W DNA Polymerase Lambda Protein
Antonia A. Nemec, Korie B. Bush, Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel, B. Frazier Taylor, Vincent Schulz, Joanne B. Weidhaas, David P. Tuck, Joann B. Sweasy
Published: November 10, 2016
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Studies of DNA Polymerase β
Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel, Shibani Dalal, Christal D. Sohl, Sylvie Doublie, Karen S. Anderson, Joann B. Sweasy
Published: June, 2014
The E295K Cancer Variant of Human Polymerase β Favors the Mismatch Conformational Pathway during Nucleotide Selection
Brian E. Eckenroth, Jamie B. Towle-Weicksel, Joann B. Sweasy, Sylvie Doublie
Published: June, 2014

Location

Location: Clark Science, Room 118, Rhode Island College