SEMINAR @ SISSA, SBP, dr. F. Ritort - Dec. 19, at 16.00 hrs.

[Barbara Corzani]

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STATISTICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR
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Dr. Felix Ritort 

(Small Biosystems Lab, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain)

 

Title:

"UNRAVELING NUCLEIC ACIDS INTERACTIONS BY MOLECULAR UNZIPPING"

 

Monday Dec. 19, 2011 @ 04.00 p.m.

 

SISSA - ground floor - room 5

 

NOTE: Dr. Ritort will visit SISSA on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th December.
Researchers that are interested in meeting Dr. Ritort can contact C.
Micheletti,  <mailto:michelet at sissa.it> michelet at sissa.it .


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ABSTRACT:

 

Recent developments in micro and nano-technologies allow for the controlled
manipulation of individual molecules by exerting and detecting forces in the
piconewton range. Molecular unzipping is a force-induced reaction that makes
possible to disrupt the bonds that hold molecular structures in nucleic
acids and proteins. In this way a double stranded DNA molecule can be
converted into two individual single strands by pulling apart the two
strands. The capability of single molecule techniques of detecting weak
forces together with the ability of measuring extensions with nanometer
resolution allow scientists to monitor molecular reactions in real time
(e.g. molecular folding). In this talk I will review the most recent
applications of molecular unzipping that make possible to derive base-pair
free energies in DNA with unprecedented accuracy within tenths of a
kcal/mol. I will then show the potentialities of molecular unzipping as a
tool to detect structural transitions in DNA and to unravel DNA-peptide
interactions.