Cynthia J. Burrows - Department of Chemistry

ORGANIC & BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY

Distinguished Professor
Thatcher Presidential Endowed Chair of Biological Chemistry

B. A. University of Colorado, 1975
Ph. D. Cornell University, 1982
NSF-CNRS Postdoctoral Fellow, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg 1981-83

Phone: (801) 585-7290
Office: 1625 Thatcher Building
Email: burrows@chem.utah.edu

Research Group
Biological Chemistry Program

Activities & Awards

NSF – CNRS Exchange of Scientists Fellowship, 1981-82
Japan Soc. for the Promotion of Science Research Fellow, 1989-90
NSF Creativity Award, 1993-95
NSF Career Advancement Award, 1993-94
Bioorganic & Natural Products Study Section, NIH, 1990-94
NSF Math & Physical Sciences Advisory Committee, 2005-2008
Assoc. Editor, Organic Letters, 1999 - 2002
Senior Editor, Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2001-2013
Robert W. Parry Teaching Award, 2002
ACS Utah Award, 2000
Bea Singer Award, 2004
Fellow, AAAS, 2004
Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award, Univ. of Utah, 2005
Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society, 2008
Director, USTAR Governing Authority, 2009-2017
Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2009
ACS Fellow, 2010
Distinguished Teaching Award, 2011
Editor-in-Chief, Accounts of Chemical Research, 2014
Linda K. Amos Award for Distinguished Service to Women at U of U, 2014
Member, National Academy of Science, 2014
Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology, 2016
Willard Gibbs Medal; ACS, Chicago Section, 2018
James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry; ACS, 2018
Rosenblatt Prize, 2019

Research Interests

The heterocyclic bases of DNA and RNA are subject to chemical modification, either accidentally or on purpose. For example, endogenous oxidative stress or external agents such as radiation lead to oxidation of the guanine base in both DNA and RNA. In DNA, this process is traditionally thought to be mutagenic, and an accumulation of mutations can lead to cancer. We recently demonstrated that oxidized bases can also be epigenetic, particularly in G-rich gene promoters where they impact gene expression via the base excision repair pathway.

This research program has led to the following activities and goals in the lab:

Understanding the mechanistic chemistry of guanine oxidation using free radical oxidants that are relevant to cellular chemistry
Examining the reactivity and folding dynamics of G-rich sequences that form G-quadruplexes (and their complementary i-motif structures)
Developing sequencing protocols, both nanopore and Illumina-based, for finding oxidized bases in DNA and RNA
Using cell-based assays to understand the impact of DNA modifications on G-expression in normal vs. cancer cells
Analyzing DNA repair activity on oxidized bases and abasic sites
Determining the interplay of chemical modifications in DNA (genomic) and RNA (mRNA and viral RNA) with structural motifs such as G-quadruplexes. Recently, this has involved 8-oxoG in DNA and RNA, and N6-methyladenosine, pseudouridine and inosine in RNA.

molecule image

For further details, please visit our group website.

Cynthia Burrows is a member of the Nano Institute of Utah.

Selected Publications

For recent publications, please visit our publications page.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=tJsozioAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Contact Information:

Cynthia J. Burrows, Ph. D., Distinguished Professor

U.S. Mailing address:
Department of Chemistry
University of Utah
315 S. 1400 East, Rm 2020
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0850

Campus mailing address: 2020 HEB

Physical location:
1625 Thatcher Building
Voice: 801-585-7290
Labs: 801-585-3096
burrows@chem.utah.edu