Albert Cheh
Department Chair, Environmental Science
Department of Environmental Science
- Albert Cheh received a BA in Chemistry from Columbia and a PhD in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the biochemistry of enzymatic digestion of biomass to produce cellulosic ethanol biofuel. He recently supervised two NIH postdocs studying error-prone bypass DNA polymerase action at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon diol epoxide (PAH-DE) induced damage sites, and has studied PAH-DE reactions with DNA, water chlorination mutagens and toxic heavy metals.
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Degrees
PhD, Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley
BA, Chemistry, Columbia
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OFFICE
- CAS - Environmental Science
- Beeghly - 304
FOR THE MEDIA
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Partnerships & Affiliations
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Environmental Mutagen Society (USA)
Member
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American Association for the Advancement of Science
Member
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Federation of American Scientists
Member
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Member
Teaching
Fall 2011
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- ENVS-580 Environmental Science I
- Description
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- ENVS-580 Environmental Science I
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Spring 2012
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- ENVS-095 Abroad at AU
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- ENVS-505 Energy
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Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Research Interests
Mechanisms by which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogens found in cigarette and other smoke, and soot damage DNA and cause mutations and cancer. Bypass DNA synthesis by Y-family DNA polymerases. Enzymatic digestion of lignocellulose in the production of cellulosic ethanol.
Selected Publications
- Custer, L., Zajc, B., Sayer, J.M., Cullinane, C., Phillips, D.R., Cheh, A.M., Jerina, D.M., Bohr, V.A. and Mazur, S.J.* “Stereoscopic Differences in Repair by Human Cell Extracts of Synthesized Oligonucleotides Containing trans-Opened 7,8,9,10-Tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene 7,8-Diol 9,10-Epoxide N2-dG Adduct Stereoisomers Located within the Human K-ras Codon 12 Sequence” Biochemistry 38, 569-581 (1999).
- Chiapperino, D., Kroth, H., Kramarczuk, I. H., Sayer, J. M., Masutani, C., Hanaoka, F., Jerina, D. M. and Cheh, A.M.* Preferential Misincorporation Of Purine Nucleotides By Human DNA Polymerase Eta Opposite Benzo[A]Pyrene 7,8-Diol 9,10-Epoxide Deoxyguanosine Adducts” J. Biol. Chem. 277, 11765-11771 (2002).
- Chiapperino, D., Cai, M., Sayer, J. M., Yagi, H., Kroth, H., Masutani, C., Hanaoka, F., Jerina, D. M. and Cheh, A.M.* “Error-prone Translesion Synthesis with DNA Polymerase Eta on DNA Containing 7,8-Dihydroxy-9,10-Epoxy-7,8,9,10-Tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrenyl dA Adducts” J. Biol. Chem. 280, 39684-39692 (2005).
• *corresponding author
Honors, Awards, and Fellowships
- NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, 1F32 ES05091, 1977-78
- American University Award for Outstanding Teaching in the General Education Program, 2004
Work In Progress
- He,Y.J., Yagi, H. Jerina, D. M.and Cheh, A. M.* Cytosine Methylation of CpG Increases Yield Of Benzo[c]phenanthrene Diol Epoxide Adducts at Adjacent A and Dibenz[a,j]anthracene Diol Epoxide +2 Adducts at G.
- Cai, M., Sayer, J.M., Ohashi, E., Ohmori, H., Jerina, D.M. and Cheh, A.M.* “Limited Error-prone Bypass of Benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-Diol 9,10-Epoxide DE-2 Deoxyadenosine Adducts by Human DNA Polymerase Kappa
- Phillips, T. B., Cai, M., Sayer, J. M., Masutani, C., Hanaoka, F., Jerina, D. M. and Cheh, A.M.*, “Unusual rate acceleration of extension by DNA polymerase Eta at Benzo[c]phenanthrene Diol Epoxide dA adducts” *corresponding author



