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Albert Cheh Prof Emeritus Environmental Science

Contact
by appointment
Degrees
PhD, Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley
BA, Chemistry, Columbia

Bio
My research focuses on signatures of exposure to environmental carcinogens. I have also studied the enzymatic digestion of biomass to produce cellulosic ethanol biofuel, error-prone bypass DNA polymerase action at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon diol epoxide (PAH-DE) induced damage sites, PAH-DE reactions with DNA, water chlorination mutagens and toxic heavy metals. I teach courses about our energy system and its relationship to climate change.
See Also
Environmental Science
Chemistry Department
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

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.

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

  • NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, 1F32 ES05091, 1977-78
  • American University Award for Outstanding Teaching in the General Education Program, 2004

Selected Publications

  •  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).
  • Chundawat, S. P.S.*, Bellesia, G., Uppugundla, N., da Costa Sousa,L., Gao,D., Cheh, A.M.,  Agarwal, U.P., Bianchetti, C.M., Phillips, G.N., Jr., Langan,P., Balan,V., Gunanakaran,S*. and Dale, B.E. Restructuring the Crystalline Cellulose Hydrogen Bond Network Enhances Its Depolymerization Rate,  J. Amer. Chem Soc. 133 (29), 11163–11174 (2011)
  • Humpula, J.F., Uppugundla, N., Tang, X., Vismeh, R., da Costa Sousa, L., Chundawat,S.P.S., Jones, A.D., Balan, V., Dale, B.E. and Cheh, A. M.* Probing the nature of AFEX-pretreated corn stover derived decomposition products that inhibit cellulase activity, Bioresource Technology, 152, 38-45 (2014)
  • da Costa Sousa, L., Jin, M.J., Chundawat, S., Bokade, V., Tang, X.Y., Azarpira, A., Lu, F.C., Avci, U., Humpula, J., Uppugundla, N., Gunawan, C., Pattathil, S., Cheh, A.M, Kothari, N., Kumar, R., Ralph, J., Hahn,M.G., Wyman,C.E., Singh, S., Simmons, B.A., Dale, B.E.* and Balan, V.* Next-generation ammonia pretreatment enhances biofuel production from biomass via simultaneous cellulose decrystallization and lignin extraction.  Energy & Environmental Science 9, 1215-1223 (2016)
  • *corresponding author

 

Work In Progress