CAREER: Fast Spectroscopic Measurements of the Unwinding Kinetics of DNA Molecules following a 10-Nanosecond Temperature-Jump

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9722295 Ansari Dr. Ansari intends to study the DNA helix-coil transition pathway, and identify and characterize possible intermediates along that pathway. She intends to do this by initiating the uncoiling transition and monitoring the kinetics of relaxation back to equilibrium. There is some evidence that suggests that flanking sequences outside a primary interaction site between a section of DNA and a ligand can render the DNA duplex more unstable, resulting in an increased reactivity with the ligand. The experiments described will ultimately contribute to our understanding of the interplay of the structural, thermodynamic, and dynamic characteristics of DNA and the recognition mechanisms of reacting ligands and proteins. The educational goals will focus on integrating multidisciplinary studies into the curriculum of both undergraduate and graduate students. The objectives are to introduce a Biophysics program that will synthesize existing courses offered in Physics, Chemistry and Biology Departments for an interdisciplinary degree. In addition, a Molecular Biophysics course will be offered at the undergraduate level that will focus on the physical chemistry of biomolecules and introduce the students to research topics of current interest. Effort will be made to reach out to high school students from Chicago schools, particularly from underrepresented minorities, for summer internships.