Molecular Biology Program
The Scott Keeney Lab
Research
![Pictured: Dr. Scott Keeney](https://www.mskcc.org/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/1491/person/031717_msk-00504_3x2.jpg?h=10d202d3)
The long-range objectives of our research are to understand the mechanism of meiotic recombination and to determine how this process is coordinated with other events of meiotic prophase. Several projects in the lab focus on Spo11 (the protein that makes the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that initiate recombination), the proteins that interact with Spo11, the interactions of these proteins with meiotic chromosomes, and the mechanisms that regulate the timing, number, and location of DSB formation. We also study how DSBs are processed and repaired and we are seeking to expand knowledge of meiotic processes more generally through discovery of new genes important for germ cell function. Most of the meiosis research in the lab uses the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the mouse. Finally, our studies of Spo11 have also provided an entry point to research on the DSBs made by the enzyme Topoisomerase II when it is inhibited by chemotherapeutic agents such as etoposide or doxorubicin.
Research Projects
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Featured News
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Publications Highlights
†Yu Y, †Wang J, †Liu K, †Zheng Z, Arter M, Claeys Bouuaert, Pu S, *Patel DJ and *Keeney S (2023) Cryo-EM structure of the Spo11 core complex bound to DNA. bioRxiv, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.31.564985 *Corresponding authors; †equal contribution.
People
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Scott Keeney, PhD
Member, Molecular Biology Program, SKI; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Frederick R. Adler Chair
- Molecular biologist Scott Keeney investigates mechanisms of the initiation of meiotic recombination.
- PhD, University of California, Berkeley
- [email protected]
- Email Address
- 212-639-5182
- Office Phone
- Download CV
- PDF File
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- BS, Southern University of Science and Technology
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Lab Affiliations
Achievements
- Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2008)
- American Academy of Microbiology (2014)
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017)
- Frederick Adler Chair, MSKCC (2017)
- US National Academy of Sciences (2020)
Open Positions
To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center
To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs
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Disclosures
Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.
MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.
Scott Keeney discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
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AbbVie
Equity -
Abbott Laboratories
Equity -
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Professional Services and Activities
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Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated) -
Pfizer, Inc.
Equity -
Viatris Inc.
Equity
The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.
This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2022 through disclosure submission in spring 2023). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.
Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].