The Fall 2022 GWC2 Seminar Series continues with our next presentation Wednesday, November 2nd. These seminars will be held in person in the Main Link room at the home University of the presenter, and via Teams for the opposite campus.
Ligand Recognition in RNA and DNA Aptamers - The same but different?
Professor Thorsten Dieckmann
Department of Chemistry
University of Waterloo
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
3:00 p.m.
C2-361 at the University of Waterloo - Coffee and snacks served.
Online via Microsoft Teams for the University of Guelph.
Please contact gwc@uoguelph.ca with your Teams ID/email address to attend the seminars online.
All are welcome to attend!
ABSTRACT: In recent years, nucleic acid aptamers were increasingly employed as tools in chemistry, biochemistry, and material sciences. DNA, RNA and their derivatives serve as recognition and reporter elements in biosensors, building blocks for nanostructures, and as pharmaceuticals. We are trying to improve our understanding of molecular recognition in aptamer small molecule complexes and to develop a rational basis for the development of functional building blocks that can be used as part of biosensors or other nucleic acid applications. Toward this end a detailed understanding of how ligand binding in nucleic acids is related to sequence and structure is crucial. We are utilizing structural and functional studies of RNA and DNA aptamers to organic dyes such as Hoechst 33342 or its derivatives as model systems for these studies.