CAREER: Single Molecule Study of Oligonucleotide-Protein Interaction and Folding in a Nanopore

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

In this CAREER award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division and the Molecular Biophysics Program of the Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division, Prof. Li-Qun Gu of the University of Missouri -- Columbia and his graduate and undergraduate research students will study the dynamic behavior of biomolecular binding and unbinding using single-molecule methods. This will be achieved by detecting the change in conductivity in a manufactured nanopore. The initial molecular targets will be aptamers binding to proteins. Prof. Gu will also further develop his nanobiotechnology course that he has introduced. In addition to his course-development, Prof. Gu will initiate a K-12 outreach program to the Columbia Public Schools to ignite student interest in nanobiotechnology and its applications to the life and health sciences. By using a nanopore, Prof. Gu and his research students will be able to study certain biological processes one molecule at a time. Compared with other single-molecule methods, the advantage of the nanopore method is that it does not require adding a fluorescent tag to the molecule of interest, a tag that may alter the physical, chemical and biological properties of a molecule. The nanopore may help future scientists in the rational design of chemical compounds that bind selectively to a specific biomolecule (e.g. for new drugs or drug therapies), as well as in the construction of exquisitely sensitive detectors for a narrow range of chemical or biological species (e.g. for detection of biological warfare agents.)