Crowding Effects on Trincleotide Hairpins

Furman大学的Jeffrey Petty得到了实验物理化学项目的支持，该项目旨在评估细胞样环境中三核苷酸重复发夹的结构，动力学和能量学。 将采用两种研究途径。 首先，单分子荧光能量转移将用于测量DNA链上发色团之间的距离，提供结构信息。 其次，拥挤的影响力的发夹将被测量。 通过吸收光谱和差示扫描量热法（DSC），拥挤的自由能，焓，熵和热容量的变性变化的影响将被测量。 预计结果将使人们能够重新理解DNA序列和细胞环境对重复序列形成的结构类型的影响。 该项目将通过研究向弗曼大学的本科生教授科学。学生将学习通过在专业会议上的演讲和通过在主要文献中的出版物来组织和传播他们的研究活动的成果。新的仪器和实验将被整合到实验室课程，以及博士后助理将指导未来的教师职业生涯在本科为重点的机构。

Jeffrey Petty of Furman University is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program for a RUI project that aims to evaluate the structure, dynamics, and energetics of trinucleotide repeat hairpins in cell-like environments. Two avenues of study will be pursued. First, single molecule fluorescence energy transfer will be used to measure the distances between chromophores on the DNA strand, providing structural information. Second, the influence of crowding on the energetics of the hairpins will be measured. Through absorption spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the effects of crowding on the free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and heat capacity changes for denaturation will be measured. Outcomes are expected to enable new understandings of the effect of DNA sequence and the cellular environment on the types of structures that form from repeated sequences. This project will teach science through research to undergraduates at Furman University. The students will learn to organize and disseminate the outcomes of their research activities through presentations at professional meetings and through publication in the primary literature. The new instruments and experiments will be integrated into laboratory classes, and as well a postdoctoral associate will be mentored for a future faculty career at an undergraduate-focused institution.