Dr. Suresh Gorle
Chemistry
U. of Texas @ El Paso
El Paso, TX

Thursday, February 1, 2018
3:00 pm (CT)
3269 Beckman Institute

Abstract

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an important genetic material and plays vital role in a variety of biological processes within cells. It acts as a genetic material carrier, regulatory element, enzymes etc. Understanding the relationship between sequence, structure, and function of RNA and RNA-associated molecules is essential to its diverse functions. Recent studies have shown that nucleic acid- based therapies such as antisense and antiviral therapies are more efficient than traditional therapies. The presentation describes the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies of natural heterogeneous nucleic acids, chemically modified nucleic acids, and non-coding RNA. RNA unfolding in the presence of chemical denaturant is discussed. As cells continuously synthesizes the RNA molecules, accumulation of the faulty or leftover RNA molecules leads to several immune diseases like cancer. Examination of the factors responsible for RNA specific discrimination, the first step in the enzymatic degradation process is explained at the end.