My main interest was initially DNA and RNA repair, specifically to study the biological functions of the human AlkB enzymes involved in direct alkylation repair. In recent years my focus has extended into functional RNA modifications and DNA epigenetics that orchestrate fundamental processes like stress response and memory formation.
I have a strong background in chemistry and 15 years of experience with chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques. Throughout my PhD and post doctoral period I developed and refined advanced mass spectrometry based methods for the characterization of a wide range of DNA and RNA modifications. Today these methods are incorporated into a core facility and are the basis for collaborations with multiple research labs across Europe and USA.
Published 29 articles (PubMed) in peer-reviewed international journals. Currently more than 1700 citations (self-citations excluded) and an h-index of 19 (ResearcherID). Statistics: (Impact factor, number of publications): Nature (43.8, 2), Nat Neurosci (19.9, 1), Mol Cell (14.4, 2), Nat Commun (13.1, 2), Genes&Dev (12.6, 2), EMBO J (10.7, 2), J Cell Biol (9.6, 1), Am J Hum Genet (9.0, 1), Nucleic Acids Res (8.8, 4), Cell Rep (8.7, 1), Oncotarget (6.0, 1), Epigenet Chromatin (5.2, 1), J Biol Chem (4.6, 1), Cell Discov (4.5, 1), Mol Cell Biol (4.4, 1), PlosOne (3.5, 1), DNA Rep (3.4, 3), J Pharmacol Exp Ther (3.0, 1), J Clin Pharm (1.7, 1).
Selected articles:
– Monies, D*, Vågbø, CB*, Al-Owain M, Alhomaidi S, Alkuraya, FS. Recessive Truncating Mutations in ALKBH8 Cause Severe Impairment of Wobble Uridine Modification and Intellectual Disability. Am J Hum Genet., 2019, in press. *contributed equally
– Brickner, JR, Soll, JM, Lombardi, PM, Vågbø, CB, [14 additional authours], Mosammaparast N. A ubiquitin-dependent signalling axis specific for ALKBH-mediated DNA dealkylation repair. Nature, 2017, 551(7680):389-393.
– Vågbø CB, Svaasand EK, Aas PA, Krokan HE. Methylation damage to RNA induced in vivo in Escherichia coli is repaired by endogenous AlkB as part of the adaptive response. DNA repair, 2013, 12:188-195.
– van den Born, E*; Vågbø, CB*, [8 additional authours], Falnes PØ. ALKBH8-mediated formation of a novel diastereomeric pair of wobble nucleosides in mammalian tRNA. Nat Commun, 2011, 2: 172. *contributed equally