From nature to nano: structure, dynamics and reactivity of DNA three-way junctions

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The double helix is the iconic structure of DNA, but this unbranched form is not the active one in vivo. Considering that the structure and dynamics of duplex DNA still preoccupies experimentalists and theoreticians around the world, sixty years after the structure was announced by Watson and Crick, it is clear that the study of branched DNA is in its infancy. The aim of this proposal is to use cutting-edge single-molecule tools to understand the structure and dynamics of an important branched DNA molecule, the three-way junction, at the nanoscale. These branched species are present in vivo, they are implicated in neurological diseases, and they are used as building blocks in DNA-based nanoscience. The project will give otherwise inaccessible information on key biological processes, and could lead to potential drug targets, to new design strategies for synthetic biology and to the development of the next generation of programmable DNA nanoscale machines.