University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Mason McCrury

Fifth year, GPIBS, Biochemistry Track

Education

King University, B.A. – Human Biology & Spanish (double major)

Research

My research centers on the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide (APOBEC) family of nucleic acid deaminating enzymes, whose activity is the second leading known cause of mutagenesis in cancer. I study the processes by which the APOBEC family member AID (activation induced cytidine deaminase) diverges from its normal role of mutating immunoglobulin DNA to generate oncogenic mutations in lymphoma-associated genes such as BCL2 and MYC. Through this work, we now understand that G-quadruplexes (noncanonical DNA secondary structures formed by stacked guanine tetrads) in both of these genes can stimulate AID activity by a subset of APOBECs including AID. This research, along with the broader goals of the Kendrick lab, helps us understand the mechanisms by which certain lymphomas emerge and recur.

Notable about his time as a Graduate

Grad school has certainly taught me how to “fail forward,” get creative, and work with the cards that I’m dealt. I have, along with every grad student, troubleshooted countless experiments into oblivion: a practice which has really blurred the line between persistence and insanity. But this has taught me (and maybe forced me) to come at questions from new angles, and many of the discoveries I’ve made probably would not have come along if this were a smooth ride.

Career Goals

I’m not sure where yet, but I will begin a postdoctoral fellowship upon completion of my degree. I’m broadly interested in mutagenesis, repair, and genome integrity, so I’m excited to see what comes next!

Experiment or Technique you would most like to do

I have very limited experience with in vivo models. I’d really like to work with murine models, or maybe even Drosophila or C. elegans to see how these things I’m studying impact a whole organism.

Fun Facts

I play a lot of volleyball any chance I get! I played most of my life and through college and still enjoy it every chance I get, though I’ve made the transition to sand volleyball to save my knees. I also dabble in tennis and any racket sport – any excuse to get outside.

Publications

  1. Brown S, Swafford K, McCrury M, Nasrin F, Gragg CQ, Chavan A, Roy Choudhury S, Dickerhoff J, Yang D, Kendrick S. G-quadruplex and i-motif DNA structures form in the promoter of the key innate immune adaptor MYD88. Cell Rep Phys Sci. 2025 May 21; 6(5):102560. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102560. Epub 2025 Apr 28. PMID: 40642110; PMCID: PMC12245167.
  2. McCrury M, Swafford K, Shuttleworth SL, Mehdi SH, Acharya B, Saha D, Naceanceno K, Byrum SD, Storey AJ, Xu YZ, Doshier C, Patel V, Post GR, De Loose A, Rodriguez A, Shultz LD, Zhan F, Yoon D, Frett B, Kendrick S. Bifunctional Inhibitor Reveals NEK2 as a Therapeutic Target and Regulator of Oncogenic Pathways in Lymphoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2024 Mar 4;23(3):316-329. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-23-0299. PMID: 37816504
  3. Ketkar A, Sewilam RS, McCrury MJ, Hall JS, Bell A, Paxton BC, Tripathi S, Gunderson JEC, Eoff RL. Conservation of the insert-2 motif confers Rev1 from different species with an ability to disrupt G-quadruplexes and stimulate translesion DNA synthesis. RSC Chem Biol. 2023 May 11;4(7):466-485. doi: 10.1039/d3cb00027c. PMID: 37415867
  4. Swafford K, Acharya B, Xu YZ, Raney T, McCrury M, Saha D, Frett B, Kendrick S. Targeting a Novel G-Quadruplex in the CARD11 Oncogene Promoter with Naptho(2,1-b)furan-1-ethanol,2-nitro- Requires the Nitro Group. Genes (Basel). 2022 Jun 25;13(7):1144. doi: 10.3390/genes13071144. PMID: 35885931

Grants

Graduate Research Fellowship Program, National Science Foundation.

Awards

  • Travel Grant, UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (2026)
  • G4thering Travel Award, 9th International Meeting on Quadruplex Nucleic Acids Organizing Committee (2025)
  • Presentation of the Semester, UAMS Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Student Seminar Series (2025)               
  • Travel Award, Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (2025)
  • Second place, Bhuvan Award for Excellence in Biochemistry Graduate Research, UAMS Student Research Day (2024)
  • Travel Grant, UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (2024)
  • Runner-up in cancer research, UAMS Student Research Day (2023)