John L. Nitiss
Professor of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Head for Research, College of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences
Assistant Dean for Research, Rockford Campus, College of Pharmacy
Adjunct Professor, College of Medicine - Medical Biotechnology
Contact
Address:
1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL
Office Phone:
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About
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of action of anticancer drugs; DNA topoisomerases and their roles in biological processes; microbial model systems of drug action; biochemistry and biology of non-homologous recombination; repair inhibitors and cancer chemotherapy.
Teaching and Supervision
Biostats for Pharm Scientists (PSCI 48781), 1/12/2026 – 3/6/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38922), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38921), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38920), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38919), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Special Proj Pharm Sci (PSCI 45136), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Principles and techniques of Molecular Biology (MBT 505), 8/25/2025 – 12/12/2025
Colloquium Lecture Series (PSCI 425), 8/25/2025 – 12/5/2025
Colloquium Lecture Series (PSCI 425), 8/25/2025 – 12/5/2025
Selected Grants
Biochemical determinants of genome instability induced by eukaryotic topoisomerase II, National Cancer Institute., 1/15/2025 - 12/31/2026, Obligated Amount: $160330; No Anticipated Amount Set
Biochemical determinants of genome instability induced by eukaryotic topoisomerase II, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 1/15/2025 - 12/31/2026, Obligated Amount: $152314; Anticipated Amount: $160330
Genome Instability induced in cancer cells carrying mutations in Type II topoisomerases, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 12/20/2021 - 11/30/2024, Obligated Amount: $159900; Anticipated Amount: $159900
DNA Topoisomerase Misfunctioning in Neurological Disease, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)., 1/1/2021 - 11/30/2023, Obligated Amount: $159900; Anticipated Amount: $159900
Novel Approaches for Studying Topoisomerase 2 Targeting Anti-Cancer Drugs, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 4/1/2017 - 3/31/2020, Obligated Amount: $159900; Anticipated Amount: $159900
Regulation of Non-Homologous End Joining Through End Processing, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 7/1/2014 - 12/31/2017, Obligated Amount: $360967; Anticipated Amount: $360967
DNA Repair And Antitopoisomerase Drug Effects, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 9/2/2011 - 7/31/2012, Obligated Amount: $5953; Anticipated Amount: $5953
Anti-Topoisomerase Drug Action in Yeast, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 9/2/2011 - 1/31/2016, Obligated Amount: $982606; Anticipated Amount: $1008094
Studies of Childhood Solid Tumors, National Cancer Institute., 8/1/1978 - 7/31/2013, Obligated Amount: $43592000; No Anticipated Amount Set
Selected Publications
Nitiss, Karin C, Conroy, Brigid, McCoy, Maureen N, Nitiss, John L. (2025). Abstract 2838: Modeling putative oncogenic variants of human topoisomerase II by genome editing of a near haploid cell line. Cancer Research, 85, (8_Supplement_1), 2838-2838. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.am2025-2838.
McCoy, Maureen Nie, Adhikari, Myna, Nitiss, Karin C, Nitiss, John L. (2025). Yeast Tools for Studying Type II Topoisomerases in Budding Yeast. Methods in Molecular Biology, 2928, 123-150. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-4550-5_12.
Evoli, Stefania, Kariyawasam, Nilusha L, Nitiss, Karin C, Nitiss, John L, Wereszczynski, Jeff. (2024). Modeling allosteric mechanisms of eukaryotic type II topoisomerases. Biophysical Journal, 123, (12), 1620-1634. doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2024.05.004.
Bandak, Afif F, Blower, Tim R, Nitiss, Karin C, Shah, Viraj, Nitiss, John L, Berger, James M. (2024). Using energy to go downhill—a genoprotective role for ATPase activity in DNA topoisomerase II. Nucleic Acids Research, 52, (3), 1313-1324. doi:10.1093/nar/gkad1157.
D’Alessandro, Giuseppina, Morales-Juarez, David A, Richards, Sean L, Nitiss, Karin C, Serrano-Benitez, Almudena, Wang, Juanjuan, Thomas, John C, Gupta, Vipul, Voigt, Andrea, Belotserkovskaya, Rimma, Goh, Chen Gang, Bowden, Anne Ramsay, Galanty, Yaron, Beli, Petra, Nitiss, John L, Zagnoli-Vieira, Guido, Jackson, Stephen P. (2023). RAD54L2 counters TOP2-DNA adducts to promote genome stability. Science Advances, 9, (49), eadl2108. doi:10.1126/sciadv.adl2108.
Bandak, Afif F, Blower, Tim R, Nitiss, Karin C, Gupta, Raveena, Lau, Albert Y, Guha, Ria, Nitiss, John L, Berger, James M. (2023). Naturally mutagenic sequence diversity in a human type II topoisomerase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120, (28), e2302064120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2302064120.
Menendez, Daniel, Anand, Jay R, Murphy, Carri C, Bell, Whitney J, Fu, Jiaqi, Slepushkina, Nadia, Buehler, Eugen, Martin, Scott E, Lal-Nag, Madhu, Nitiss, John L, Resnick, Michael A. (2022). Etoposide-induced DNA damage is increased in p53 mutants: identification of ATR and other genes that influence effects of p53 mutations on Top2-induced cytotoxicity. Oncotarget, 13, (1), 332-346. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.28195.
Boot, Arnoud, Liu, Mo, Stantial, Nicole, Shah, Viraj, Yu, Willie, Nitiss, Karin C, Nitiss, John L, Jinks-Robertson, Sue, Rozen, Steven G. (2022). Recurrent mutations in topoisomerase IIα cause a previously undescribed mutator phenotype in human cancers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119, (4), e2114024119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2114024119.
Nitiss, John L, Kiianitsa, Kostantin, Sun, Yilun, Nitiss, Karin C, Maizels, Nancy. (2021). Topoisomerase Assays. Current Protocols, 1, (10), e250-e250. doi:10.1002/cpz1.250.
Professional Leadership
External reviewer for Laboratory of Biochemkistry, NCI, NIH, NCI, 10/1/2024 - 10/31/2024
Council member, American Association For The Advancement of Science, 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2024
MEMBER-AT-LARGE, Section S, American Association For The Advancement of Science, 1/1/2022 - 12/31/2022
Notable Honors
2024, Distinguished Researcher, Basic Life Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago
Education
Degrees:
Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology, United States, 1986
S.B., University of Chicago, United States, 1978
Postgraduate Training:
Post-doctoral fellow, Harvard University, United States, 1989