Rachel Flynn | Profiles RNS

Rachel L. Flynn, PhD

Associate Professor

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics

PhD, University of Massachusetts Medical School
BS, Saint Michael's College

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Websites

	School of Medicine Faculty
	ResearchGate

ORCID : 0000-0003-0562-1909

In the Laboratory of Genomic stability and Cancer Therapeutics we use a combination of biochemical and cell biological approaches to study the function of mammalian telomeres. Telomeres cap the ends of linear chromosomes and provide a molecular barrier for the human genome. Following each cell division, progressive telomere shortening erodes that barrier and compromises the stability of the genome. Critically short, or dysfunctional telomeres induce replicative senescence and/or cell death and ultimately, lead to cellular aging. Cancer cells, however, overcome the replicative senescence associated with critically short telomeres by exploiting mechanisms of telomere elongation. The focus of my lab is to understand the mechanisms regulating mammalian telomere maintenance and to understand how defects in this process contribute to premature aging and cancer progression. The hope is that these studies will allow us to gain the mechanistic insight necessary to define novel targets and/or strategies in the treatment of human disease.

Associate Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Medicine
Hematology & Medical Oncology

Peter Paul Career Development Professorship
Boston University

Member
Boston University
BU-BMC Cancer Center

Co-Director
Boston University
Genome Science Institute

Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

BU Research
NIH RePORTER Research

Fostering Diversity in the Cancer Research Workforce
01/01/2024 - 12/31/2026 (PI)
American Cancer Society, Inc.

Defining Genetic Vulnerabilities in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors That Rely on the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway
08/01/2023 - 07/31/2026 (Subcontract PI)
Boston Medical Center Corporation DOD Army Med Resrch

Defining the Replication Stress Response in the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway
01/01/2024 - 12/31/2025 (PI)
American Cancer Society, Inc.

Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containIng RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance
03/17/2017 - 02/28/2023 (PI)
NIH/National Cancer Institute
5R01CA214880-06

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway
08/01/2016 - 02/28/2023 (PI)
NIH/National Cancer Institute
5R01CA201446-05

Defining ATR function in the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway
10/01/2015 - 02/28/2019 (PI)
Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation

Targeting the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway in Cancer
10/01/2015 - 09/30/2016 (PI)
Elsa U. Pardee Foundation

Suppression of genomic instability by tuning the DNA damage response at telomeres
06/01/2013 - 05/31/2016 (PI)
NIH/National Cancer Institute
5R00CA166729-04

Probing the Alternative Lengthening (ALT) Pathway in Osteosarcoma
09/01/2013 - 03/31/2015 (PI)
Foster Foundation

Title

Yr	Title	Project-Sub Proj	Pubs
2022	Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containing RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance	5R01CA214880-06
2021	Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containing RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance	5R01CA214880-05
2020	Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containing RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance	5R01CA214880-04
2020	Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway	5R01CA201446-05	3
2019	Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containing RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance	5R01CA214880-03
2019	Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway	5R01CA201446-04	3
2018	Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containing RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance	5R01CA214880-02
2018	Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway	5R01CA201446-03	3
2017	Functional characterization of the telomere repeat containing RNA, TERRA, in telomere maintenance	1R01CA214880-01
2017	Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Pathway	5R01CA201446-02	3

Showing 10 of 15 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

Mori JO, Keegan J, Flynn RL, Heaphy CM. Alternative lengthening of telomeres: mechanism and the pathogenesis of cancer. J Clin Pathol. 2024 Jan 18; 77(2):82-86.View Related Profiles.

Heaphy, Christopher
Mori, Joakin
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 37890990

Zamalloa LG, Pruitt MM, Hermance NM, Gali H, Flynn RL, Manning AL. RB loss sensitizes cells to replication-associated DNA damage after PARP inhibition by trapping. Life Sci Alliance. 2023 Dec; 6(12). PMID: 37704395; PMCID: PMC10500056; DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302067;

Reiss M, Keegan J, Aldrich A, Lyons SM, Flynn RL. The exoribonuclease XRN2 mediates degradation of the long non-coding telomeric RNA TERRA. FEBS Lett. 2023 Jul; 597(14):1818-1836.View Related Profiles.

Flynn, Rachel
Lyons, Shawn

PMID: 37191774; PMCID: PMC10524182; DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14639;

Carson LM, Flynn RL. Highlighting vulnerabilities in the alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2023 Jun; 70:102380. PMID: 37149932; PMCID: PMC10247456; DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2023.102380;

Zamalloa LG, Pruitt MM, Hermance NM, Gali H, Flynn RL, Manning AL. RB loss sensitizes cells to replication-associated DNA damage by PARP inhibition. bioRxiv. 2023 Mar 25. PMID: 36993348; PMCID: PMC10055402; DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.25.532215;

Floro J, Dai A, Metzger A, Mora-Martin A, Ganem NJ, Cifuentes D, Wu CS, Dalal J, Lyons SM, Labadorf A, Flynn RL. SDE2 is an essential gene required for ribosome biogenesis and the regulation of alternative splicing. Nucleic Acids Res. 2021 09 20; 49(16):9424-9443.View Related Profiles.

Labadorf, Adam
Cifuentes, Daniel
Ganem, Neil
Flynn, Rachel
Lyons, Shawn

PMID: 34365507; PMCID: PMC8450105; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab647;

Mason-Osann E, Terranova K, Lupo N, Lock YJ, Carson LM, Flynn RL. RAD54 promotes alternative lengthening of telomeres by mediating branch migration. EMBO Rep. 2020 06 04; 21(6):e49495.View Related Profiles.

Mason-Osann, Emily
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 32337843; PMCID: PMC7271314; DOI: 10.15252/embr.201949495;

Flynn RL, Heaphy CM. Surviving Telomere Attrition with the MiDAS Touch. Trends Genet. 2019 11; 35(11):783-785.View Related Profiles.

Heaphy, Christopher
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 31526614

Panier S, Maric M, Hewitt G, Mason-Osann E, Gali H, Dai A, Labadorf A, Guervilly JH, Ruis P, Segura-Bayona S, Belan O, Marzec P, Gaillard PHL, Flynn RL, Boulton SJ. SLX4IP Antagonizes Promiscuous BLM Activity during ALT Maintenance. Mol Cell. 2019 10 03; 76(1):27-43.e11.View Related Profiles.

Labadorf, Adam
Mason-Osann, Emily
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 31447390; PMCID: PMC6863466; DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.07.010;

Mason-Osann E, Gali H, Flynn RL. Resolving Roadblocks to Telomere Replication. Methods Mol Biol. 2019; 1999:31-57.View Related Profiles.

Mason-Osann, Emily
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 31127568

Showing 10 of 24 results. Show More

Gali H, Mason-Osann E, Flynn RL. Direct Visualization of DNA Replication at Telomeres Using DNA Fiber Combing Combined with Telomere FISH. Methods Mol Biol. 2019; 1999:319-325.View Related Profiles.

Mason-Osann, Emily
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 31127588

Mason-Osann E, Dai A, Floro J, Lock YJ, Reiss M, Gali H, Matschulat A, Labadorf A, Flynn RL. Identification of a novel gene fusion in ALT positive osteosarcoma. Oncotarget. 2018 Aug 28; 9(67):32868-32880.View Related Profiles.

Labadorf, Adam
Mason-Osann, Emily
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 30214690; PMCID: PMC6132345; DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26029;

Cox KE, Maréchal A, Flynn RL. SMARCAL1 Resolves Replication Stress at ALT Telomeres. Cell Rep. 2016 Feb 9; 14(5):1032-40.View Related Profiles.

Cox, Kelli
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 26832416; PMCID: PMC5051350; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.01.011;

Flynn RL, Cox KE, Jeitany M, Wakimoto H, Bryll AR, Ganem NJ, Bersani F, Pineda JR, Suvà ML, Benes CH, Haber DA, Boussin FD, Zou L. Alternative lengthening of telomeres renders cancer cells hypersensitive to ATR inhibitors. Science. 2015 Jan 16; 347(6219):273-7.View Related Profiles.

Cox, Kelli
Ganem, Neil
Flynn, Rachel

PMID: 25593184; PMCID: PMC4358324; DOI: 10.1126/science.1257216;

Flynn RL, Chang S, Zou L. RPA and POT1: friends or foes at telomeres? Cell Cycle. 2012 Feb 15; 11(4):652-7. PMID: 22373525; PMCID: PMC3318101; DOI: 10.4161/cc.11.4.19061;

Flynn RL, Centore RC, O'Sullivan RJ, Rai R, Tse A, Songyang Z, Chang S, Karlseder J, Zou L. TERRA and hnRNPA1 orchestrate an RPA-to-POT1 switch on telomeric single-stranded DNA. Nature. 2011 Mar 24; 471(7339):532-6. PMID: 21399625; PMCID: PMC3078637; DOI: 10.1038/nature09772;

Flynn RL, Zou L. ATR: a master conductor of cellular responses to DNA replication stress. Trends Biochem Sci. 2011 Mar; 36(3):133-40. PMID: 20947357; PMCID: PMC3024454; DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2010.09.005;

Centore RC, Havens CG, Manning AL, Li JM, Flynn RL, Tse A, Jin J, Dyson NJ, Walter JC, Zou L. CRL4(Cdt2)-mediated destruction of the histone methyltransferase Set8 prevents premature chromatin compaction in S phase. Mol Cell. 2010 Oct 8; 40(1):22-33. PMID: 20932472; PMCID: PMC2957874; DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.09.015;

Flynn RL, Zou L. Oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding fold proteins: a growing family of genome guardians. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Aug; 45(4):266-75. PMID: 20515430; PMCID: PMC2906097; DOI: 10.3109/10409238.2010.488216;

Xie J, Litman R, Wang S, Peng M, Guillemette S, Rooney T, Cantor SB. Targeting the FANCJ-BRCA1 interaction promotes a switch from recombination to poleta-dependent bypass. Oncogene. 2010 Apr 29; 29(17):2499-508. PMID: 20173781; PMCID: PMC2909592; DOI: 10.1038/onc.2010.18;

Litman R, Gupta R, Brosh RM Jr, Cantor SB. BRCA-FA pathway as a target for anti-tumor drugs. Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2008; 8(4):426-30.

Peng M, Litman R, Xie J, Sharma S, Brosh RM, Cantor SB. The FANCJ/MutLalpha interaction is required for correction of the cross-link response in FA-J cells. EMBO J. 2007 Jul 11; 26(13):3238-49. PMID: 17581638; PMCID: PMC1914102; DOI: 10.1038/sj.emboj.7601754;

Peng, M., R. Litman, Z. Jin, G. Fong and S.B. Cantor. BACH1 is a DNA repair protein supporting BRCA1 damage response. Oncogene. 2006; 25:2245-53.
Litman, R., M. Peng, Z. Jin, F. Zhang, J. Zhang, S. Powell, P.R. Andreassen, and S.B. Cantor. BACH1 is critical for homologous recombination and appears to be the Fanconi anemia gene product FANCJ. Cancer Cell. 2005; 8:255-265.

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 24 publications over 15 distinct years, with a maximum of 4 publications in 2010 and 2019 and 2023