Novel Pt(II) Reagents for RNA Biochemistry

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With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes Program is funding Professor Victoria DeRose of the University of Oregon for collaborative studies with Professor Michael Haley to develop and use Pt(II) reagents for RNA-crosslinking to aid in the determination of RNA tertiary structure. The researchers will employ a combination of transition metal complex synthesis, RNA adduction studies, and more global, chemically directed RNA-tagging. Elements of post-adduction, second-stage tagging are also envisioned. A combination of chemical, molecular biological and spectroscopic techniques will be used to tease out tertiary structural information from the tagged RNAs generated through this chemical biology approach. If successful, this approach may grow into a more broadly applicable chemical biology tool for the field of nucleic acid structural biology, a potentially important scientific broader impact. The project also offers the opportunity for co-mentorship of students, under both a synthetic inorganic/organic chemist and an RNA chemical biologist with a strong record in metal-nucleic acid interactions and spectroscopy. The educational broader impacts also comprise a notable undergraduate research component and continued efforts to expose women and members of traditionally underrepresented groups to modern research science.