Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry
Email: jmason4@clemson.edu
Phone: 864-656-3345
Biosketch
I received by B.Sc. from Central Michigan University (Mt. Pleasant, MI) and my Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI). I joined Clemson University as an assistant professor in the department of Genetics and Biochemistry in January 2017.
Research
Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying genome instability in human cancers. Specifically, we study the role of the DNA repair pathway, homologous recombination, in repair of DNA damage caused by double strand break inducing chemotherapeutics and replication stress. This pathway prevents the accumulation of potentially detrimental mutations and protects genome stability. In addition, we are aiming to understand how DNA repair pathways function to protect replication forks in response to genotoxic stresses. Finally, we are interested in identifying and characterizing genetic interactions that may lead to novel chemotherapeutic treatments for cancers harboring defects in DNA repair pathways.
Publications
Abrams SR, Hawks AL, Evans JM, Famula TR, Mahaffey M, Johnson GS, Mason JM and Clark LA. 2020. Variants in FtsJ RNA 2′-O-Methyltransferase 3 and Growth Hormone 1 are associated with small body size and a dental anomaly in dogs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 117: 24929-24935. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2009500117.