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SUMMARY:Ultrathin Nanopores for Structural Analysis of Small Nucleic Acids
DTSTART:20131111T154500
DTSTAMP:20260428T162301Z
UID:9017e8c2065affc930d6aad49e6dc27b7762ffb55b4d1f2d07308991
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Meni Wanunu\, Northeastern University\, Boston\, MA (USA
 )\nBio: Assistant Professor\; PhD obtained 2005 from Weizmann Institute of
  Science\, Israel.\nOur research involves studying biosystems at the nanos
 cale (macromolecular and sub-molecular levels). Subtle changes in the chem
 ical structure of biomolecules can enormously impact their function: In th
 e morning sickness drug thalidomide\, the enantiomeric form (mirror image 
 of the same exact molecule) causes severe birth defects\; a single base su
 bstitution in a gene\, aka a mutation\, is sufficient to cause disease by 
 producing a malfunctioning protein\; subtle changes in molecular structure
  to DNA\, such as the addition of a methyl group\, are now known to regula
 te gene expression. Many of the mechanisms by which miniscule chemical cha
 nges affect biomolecular function are unknown to date.\nTo address these q
 uestions\, our group is developing novel techniques that probe how small m
 olecular changes affect the global properties of macromolecules and biomol
 ecules. Using various tools enabled by nanotechnology\, we investigate bio
 molecular structure and dynamics at their corresponding size scale. Techni
 ques used in the lab include micro- and nano-fabrication\, organic and ino
 rganic thin film deposition\, interfacial chemistry and bioconjugate chemi
 stry\, scanning probe microscopy\, vibrational spectroscopy\, electronic/o
 ptical measurements\, and many more.\nPinpointing the mechanisms behind fu
 nction in biological macromolecules is essential for understanding the eme
 rging and evolving nature of life. Biological macromolecules have evolved 
 over billions of years to function efficiently in the highly heterogeneous
 \, crowded environment of a cell. In particular\, non-coding ribonucleic a
 cids (RNAs) and deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs) are are omnipresent in cells
 \, preforming both regulatory and catalytic functions by virtue of their s
 tructure. One class of such nucleic acids\, ironically termed “junk DNA\
 ,”\, is significantly involved in orchestrating gene regulation. The RNA
  subunits of the ribosome are an integral part of the translational machin
 ery for protein synthesis. Many ribozymes and other viral RNAs such as the
  hammerhead ribozyme and the canonical internal ribosome entry site\, exhi
 bit enzymatic activity. Although the exact mechanisms remain unclear\, the
  uniting theme in these non-coding nucleic acids is that their tertiary (s
 patial) structure yields specific chemical activities and functions. While
  existing techniques (e.g.\, nuclear magnetic resonance\, X-ray crystallog
 raphy) provide detailed structural information\, inherent drawbacks such a
 s ensemble averaging errors\, crystallization artifacts\, low time resolut
 ions\, and the need for ample amounts of material\, limit the availability
  and relevancy of the obtained structural information. Bioinformatics-base
 d tools aim to bridge the gap in knowledge by proposing a homology-based a
 pproach to structural prediction\, although viable experimental techniques
  are required in order to unequivocally support and improve such predictio
 ns.\nIn this talk\, I will present our group’s efforts to fabricate nano
 scale pore devices for extracting useful structural information about nucl
 eic acids that display in vivo function. Electron-beam irradiation of vari
 ous thin freestanding membranes affords nanopores with controlled dimensio
 ns and interfacial properties\, to a quality level that allows highly sens
 itive analysis of individual nucleic acids in solution at high-throughput.
  I will describe the properties of our nanopores\, as well as some of our 
 recent explorations that have permitted the analysis of DNA and RNA struct
 ures.
LOCATION:SV1717A http://map.epfl.ch/?room=sv1717a
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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