Dr. Wilma K. Olson
Department of Chemistry
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Monday, October 20, 1997
3:00 pm (CT)
3269 Beckman Institute

Abstract

Computational studies are making inroads in understanding how local DNA base sequence and protein binding events translate into the three-dimensional folding of the long threadlike polymer. Because the folding occurs over such a large molecular scale, the chain is of necessity modeled at a simple `virtual bond' level. The talk will focus on the virtual bond geometry of neighboring DNA base pairs, covering approaches recently developed to quantify the preferred arrangements and intrinsic flexibility of neighboring residues from the growing database of nucleic acid crystal structures, and the influence of these local sequence effects in computer simulations of long closed circular and looped molecules based on the theory of elastic rods.

Tea and coffee will be served in R3151 Beckman Institute at 2:15pm.