Bodil Merete Kavli
About
DNA repair and adaptive immunity
How are DNA lesions generated and repaired in our genome? What is the molecular link between DNA repair and adaptive immunity? What goes wrong when normal cells accumulate mutations and transform to cancer cells? These are important questions in my research.
I have for many years worked within the field of DNA repair and genome stability with specific focus on repair of genomic uracil (deaminated cytosine). The work includes structural and functional characterization of the uracil-DNA glycosylases UNG and SMUG1 (Biochemistry 1995; Cell 1995; Nature 1996; Embo J 1996, 2000, 2008; JBC 2002; NAR 2007, 2011; JBC 2011: DNA repair 2012).
Studies of immune-deficient patients with mutations in the UNG gene revealed an essential role of this enzyme also in adaptive immunity (Nature Immunology 2003; JEM 2005). Here, the UNG glycosylase plays a central role during the socondary antibody diversification mechanisms; somatic hyper mutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR).
The primary and physiologically role of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), the master enzyme in adaptive immunity, is to introduce uracil lesions at the Ig loci to initiate antibody diversification.
However, AID and other members of this mutator-protein family (APOBECs) pose a great threat to genomic integrity and mistargeted AID activity is likely a major cause behind oncogenic mutations and translocations in B-cell lymphomas as well as other cancers. Understanding regulation of these dynamic genome processes has during the last years become my major research interest (Nat Struct Mol Biol 2009; JMB 2013; Exp Cell Research 2014; DNA repair 2015).
Outreach
UNG in antibody class switching and uracil repair – How to be in the right place at the right time
Talk at the 8th EU-US Conference on Endogenous DNA Damage and Repair, 5-8. Oct 2025 Trondheim
2025
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Conference lecture(2025) UNG in antibody class switching and uracil repair – How to be in the right place at the right time. 8th EU-US Conference on Endogenous DNA Damage and Repair
2023
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Conference lecture(2023) Uracil-DNA glycosylase(UNG)-one enzyme-many functions ...how to be in the right place at the right time…. Monday meeting - Untit of Labarotory Mediscine
2021
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Conference lecture(2021) How to repair DNA lesions in single stranded DNA at the replication fork. Mandagsforedrag - Faggruppe for laboratoriemedisin
2019
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Conference lecture(2019) Identification of novel biomarkers in B-cell lymphomas. Workshop LABMED: From basic to translational research
2018
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Lecture(2018) Cytidin deaminaser - Sentrale aktører i immunforsvaret, men også en viktig kilde til mutasjoner og kreft. Prøveforelesning for professorat
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Lecture(2018) DNA repair, adaptive immunity and B-cell lymphoma - Its all about genomic uracil.... Seminar Faggruppe for Laboratoriemedisin
2017
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Conference lecture
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Conference lecture
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Conference poster(2017) Mitochondrial uracil-DNA glycosylase UNG1 supports class switch recombination and genomic uracil processing in mouse B-cell. B-cells and T Follicular Helper cells: Controling Long-Lived Immunity
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Lecture(2017) DNA-reparasjon og immunforsvar - Hva er sammenhengen?. Møte i Det Kongelige Norske Videnskapers Selskabs Akademi
2016
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Conference lecture(2016) Genomic Uracil - Important carcinogenic mutagen but normal intermediate in adaptive immunity. The 10th International 3R (Replication, recombination and repair) Symposium, Matsue, Japan
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Conference lecture(2016) AID og genomisk uracil; kilde til mutasjoner og utvikling av B-celle lymphom. Onkologisk forum 2016
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Conference lecture
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Conference lecture(2016) Mitochondrial UNG1 supports class switch recombination in mouse B-cells. 10th 3R International Symposium
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Conference lecture(2016) REGULATION OF BASE EXCISION REPAIR – CANONICAL AND NON-CANONICAL PROCESSING OF GENOMIC URACIL. 10th International Multiconference on Bioinformatics of Genome Regulation and Structure\Systems Biology
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Conference lecture(2016) DNA Repair in diagnosis and therapy of cancer - opportunities and problems. 1st International NTNU Symposium on Clinical Biomarkers of Cancer
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Lecture
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Lecture(2016) Genomic uracil - General mutagic DNA lesion and Specific intermediate in immunity. 1st minisymposium "DNA repair, Epigenetics and Traslational medicine"
2015
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Conference lecture(2015) AID and BER enzymes in Adaptive Immunity and Genomic Integrity. Genomic Interity Conference 2015
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Conference lecture(2015) Activation-induced cytidine deaminase and base excision repair in adaptive immunity. Onsdagsmøte IKM
2014
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Lecture
2013
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Conference lecture(2013) "Nuclear Import Rate and Deaminase Activity of AID Control Ig Class Switching". Onsdagseminar
2012
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Conference lecture
2011
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Conference poster(2011) UNG-initiated base excision repair is the major repair route for 5-fluorouracil in DNA, but 5-fluorouracil cytotoxicity depends mainly on RNA incorporation. 4th EU-USA conference on DNA base damage and repair
2010
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Conference lecture(2010) Post translational modifications of the human DNA repair protein uracil DNA glycosylase, UNG2. 6th Norwegian National Proteomics Meeting
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Conference lecture(2010) Ervervet immunitet- nødvendig for overlevelse, men med risiko for kreft. Fagdagene, åpning av nytt sykehus, St Olav
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Interview
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Conference lecture
2009
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Conference poster(2009) Cytotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil is mainly due to RNA effects and thymidylate synthase inhibition, not excessive DNA repair. 2nd Erling Seeberg Symposium on DNA Repair
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Conference lecture
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Conference lecture
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Conference lecture
2008
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Conference lecture(2008) Human ABH1 is a predominantly mitochondrial protein that demethylates 3-methylcytosine in DNA and RNA. Ist Russian-EU meeting in Genomic maintenance
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Conference lecture
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Lecture(2008) Uracil i DNA; generelt mutagen og viktig mellomprodukt i adaptiv immunitet. Fagdag i biologi for biologilærere i videregående skole
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Lecture
2007
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Conference lecture(2007) Efficient repair of 5-fluorouracil from DNA by base excision repair: roles of UNG2 and SMUG1. EU - IP DNA Repair workshop for young scientists
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Conference lecture(2007) UNG2 and SMUG1 coordinate the initial steps in BER by different mechanisms. Mandagsforedrag IKMM
2006
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Conference lecture(2006) Uracil i DNA; Generelt mutagen og viktig intermediat i adaptive immunitet. Gjesteforelesning for elever ved Høyskolen i Oslo
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Conference poster(2006) Regulation of uracil base excision repair by post-translational modifications. Erling Seeberg Symposium on DNA Repair
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Conference lecture
2005
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Conference poster(2005) The enzymatic activity of human uracil-DNA glycosylase UNG2 is regulated by N-terminal phosphorylation during cell cycle. 2nd EU-US DNA Repair Meeting: Endogeneous Stress, Base excision repair and related processes
2004
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Conference poster(2004) The mutant UNG2-F-25 1S associated with HIGM syndrome is abnormally translocated and degraded, and results in impaired nuclear uracil excision and accumulation of genomic uracil. ASM Conference on DNA Repair and Mutagenesis
2003
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Lecture(2003) AID og UNG; Nøkkelenzymer i affinitetsmodning av immunoglobuliner og klasse-switch. [Mangler data]
2002
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Conference poster(2002) Biochemical and kinetic analysis of human UNG2 and SMUG1 indicate overlapping functions in uracil-DNA repair in the nucleus. Mutagenesis and Carcinogenesis, Gordon Research Conference
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Conference poster(2002) Substrate preference and enzyme kinetics reveal distinct properties of UNG2 and SMUG1 in cellular base-excision repair; hUNG2 is the major repair enzyme for removal of uracil from U:A matches, U:G mismatches and U in single stranded DNA, with hSMUG1 as a broad specificity backup. 32nd Annual Meeting of European Environmental Mutagen Society. DNA Damage and Repair Fundamental Aspects and Contribution to Human Disorders
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Conference lecture
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Conference poster(2002) Biochemical and kinetic analysis of human UNG2 and SMUG1 indicate overlapping functions in DNA-uracil repair in the nucleus. 38. Biokjemiske kontaktmøte Functinal genomics - the mosaics of life
2001
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Lecture
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Conference poster(2001) Structure-function analysis of the human uracil-DNA glycosylase hSMUG1. Sixth International School on the Crystallography of Biological Macromolecules.
2000
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Lecture(2000) Structure-function aspects of human uracil-DNA glycosylase and its interactions with other proteins. DNA Base Excision Repair Workshop (BER 2000 WORKSHOP)
1999
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Conference poster
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Conference poster
1998
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Lecture
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Conference poster(1998) Mutation frequency and mutation spectra caused by chromosomal AP-site in repair deficient E.coli strains. Norsk Biokjemisk Selskaps møte