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SUMMARY:Delivery Boy to Reporter: Unusual DNA’s journey through a worm-w
 hole - Yamuna Krishnan\, National Centre for Biological Sciences Bangalore
DTSTART:20110517T151500Z
DTEND:20110517T170000Z
UID:TALK30729@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator
DESCRIPTION:Due to its nanoscale dimensions and ability to self-assemble v
 ia specific base pairing\, DNA is rapidly taking on a new aspect where it 
 is finding use as a construction element for architecture on the nanoscale
 .1 By and large\, structural DNA nanotechnology has relied on Watson-Crick
  base pairing to build architectures of exquisite complexity. We have been
  interested in developing non-Watson-Crick based building blocks to make a
 rchitecturally simple yet functional DNA-based molecular devices. Using tw
 o examples\, one of a rigid\, DNA polyhedron and the other a dynamic\, DNA
  assembly that acts as a molecular switch I will illustrate the potential 
 of DNA based molecular devices as unique tools with which to interrogate l
 iving systems. We show that DNA polyhedra can entrap from molecular cargo 
 from solution2 and that such loaded DNA icosahedra can cell-specifically d
 eliver encapsulated molecular cargo inside C. elegans by targeting cell-su
 rface receptors.3 In the second example\, we use a four-stranded DNA motif
  called the i-tetraplex to build a pH-triggered conformational switch.4  W
 e now show that this DNA nanomachine recapitulates its function qualitativ
 ely and quantitatively mapping pH gradients in real-time in-cellulo and wi
 thin whole living organisms.
LOCATION:Max Perutz Lecture Theatre\, Medical Research Council (MRC) (MRC 
 Laboratory of Molecular Biol
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