Hinch Group: Germline DNA Genomics
The Hinch Group is interested in the biological mechanisms of recombination and mutation and their impacts on species and their evolution.
Our goal is to understand processes that impact DNA in the germline and how they affect human health and diversity. Many of these processes, such as mutation and meiotic recombination, are complex and dynamic, involving the interplay of numerous proteins.
Our approach is data driven. We perform a range of experimental assays, including CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome-editing, to learn how these proteins interact with the genome. We then use machine learning and other statistical techniques to unravel their complex choreography.
We also utilise large-scale genetic and phenotypic data in humans (e.g., UK Biobank) to understand their impacts on our health.
We have exciting wet-lab and computational opportunities in the lab and welcome DPhil students. For details of specific projects, please get in touch.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Hinch, A.G., Becker, P. W., Li, T., Moralli, D., Zhang, G., et al. The configuration of RPA, RAD51 and DMC1 binding in meiosis reveals the nature of critical recombination intermediates. Molecular Cell. (2020).
Anjali G Hinch, Gang Zhang, Philipp W Becker, Daniela Moralli, Robert Hinch, et al. Factors influencing meiotic recombination revealed by whole-genome sequencing of single sperm. Science. Vol. 363, Issue 6433 (2019).
Anjali G Hinch, Arti Tandon, Nick Patterson, Yunli Song, Nadin Rohland, et al. The landscape of recombination in African Americans. Nature. 2011; 476: 170-175.
Davies B, Hatton E, Altemose N, Hussin JG, Pratto F, Zhang G, Hinch AG, et al. Re-engineering the zinc fingers of PRDM9 reverses hybrid sterility in mice. Nature. 530, 171-176 (2016).
Evrony, G.D., Hinch, A.G., Luo, C. Applications of Single-Cell DNA Sequencing. Annual Reviews of Genomics and Human Genetics. (2021).
Yamada, S., Hinch, A. G. , Kamido, H., Zhang, Y., Edelmann, W., Keeney, S. (2020). Molecular structures and mechanisms of DNA break processing in mouse meiosis. Genes and Development. 10.1101/gad.336032.119