Lynn Zechiedrich

Zeichiedrich was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up inArkansas. She attended Van Buren Junior High School and Northside High School. Zechiedrich studied zoology and mathematics at the University of Arkansas. She moved to Vanderbilt University for graduate studies, where she started to study toposiomerases.[1] After graduating, Zechiedrich moved to the West Coast of the United States, where she joined the University of California, Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher.

In 1997, Zechiedrich was appointed to the faculty at the Baylor College of Medicine.[2] Her research considers the structure-function properties of DNA and DNA topoisomerases. DNA topisomerases are enzymes that modulate DNA structure and function (for example replication, recombination and chromosome segregation), and they are often targets of anti-cancer drugs. Zechiedrich has developed novel mathematical and experimental approaches to characterize the topography of DNA.[3][4]

Zechiedrich has focused on better understanding fluoroquinolones, broad-spectrum antibiotics that target type-2 topoisomerases.[2] These quinolone antibiotics stabilize topoisomerase-DNA cleavage intermediates. She is interested in how Escherichia coli interact with fluoroquinolones.[2] The breaking and resealing of topoisomerases modulates the formation of DNA supercoils and knots,[5] which are overproduced by certain anticancer and antibiotic drugs and can cause cell death. She showed that this coiling and knotting transmits stress along the DNA backbone, which promotes the separation of helical strains and exposes DNA bases.[6] She made use of electron cryotomography to better understand the three-dimensional structures of DNA.[6]

Zechiedrich constructs small circles on DNA (so-called DNA minivectors) that can be used to study supercoiling and the function of therapeutic topoisomerase inhibitors.[2] The dynamic movement of the DNA mini-circles was investigated using atomic force microscopy by Alice Pyne at the University of Sheffield.[7][8][9] These overwound or supercoilled sections of DNA can be used as substrates for enzymes that act on DNA, as well as serving as gene therapy vectors.[10] DNA circles offer many advantages as vectors for gene therapies: they are non-toxic, long-lasting, survive serum and can withstand nebulization.[10] Zechiedrich patented her DNA circles and launched the spin-out company Twister Biotech, Inc.[10]

Zechiedrich is also a classically trained flutist, starting in middle school, and winning All-State and All-American awards.[11] She joined the Texas Medical Center Orchestra at its founding in 2000 and serves as principal flute.[12] The all-volunteer orchestra has 4-5 concerts per year, that benefit local charities and schools.[13] Zechiedrich played with the orchestra at Carnegie Hall in 2012,[11] and in a United Nations Foundation video in 2020.[14]

• 1997 Burroughs Wellcome Fund New Investigator Award in the Toxicological Sciences[15]
• 2009 Applied Biosystems SOLiDTM 3 System $10K Genome Award[15]
• 2011 John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award[16]
• 2013 Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists mentor of the year award[17]
• 2017 Elected to the National Academy of Inventors[18]
• 2018 Baylor College of Medicine Woman of Excellence[19]
• 2020 Barbara and Corbin J. Robertson Jr. Presidential Award for Excellence in Education[20]

• Adams DE; Shekhtman EM; Zechiedrich EL; Schmid MB; Cozzarelli NR (1 October 1992). "The role of topoisomerase IV in partitioning bacterial replicons and the structure of catenated intermediates in DNA replication". Cell. 71 (2): 277–288. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(92)90356-H. ISSN 0092-8674. PMID 1330320. Wikidata Q46625387.
• A B Khodursky; E L Zechiedrich; N R Cozzarelli (1 December 1995). "Topoisomerase IV is a target of quinolones in Escherichia coli". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 92 (25): 11801–11805. doi:10.1073/PNAS.92.25.11801. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 40490. PMID 8524852. Wikidata Q33724600.
• E L Zechiedrich; A B Khodursky; S Bachellier; R Schneider; D Chen; D M Lilley; N R Cozzarelli (1 March 2000). "Roles of topoisomerases in maintaining steady-state DNA supercoiling in Escherichia coli". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 275 (11): 8103–8113. doi:10.1074/JBC.275.11.8103. ISSN 0021-9258. PMID 10713132. Wikidata Q73538480.

• Lynn Zechiedrich on Twitter