structural-biology-std-aids-2018-keynote

S e p t e m b e r 0 3 - 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 | B a n g k o k , T h a i l a n d

Structural Biology 2018 & STD AIDS 2018

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STD-AIDS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY AND PROTEOMICS

International Conference on

Joint Event on

Journal of Genetics and Molecular Biology

Volume 2

Henry M Sobell, J Genet Mol Biol 2018, Volume 2

THE CENTERS OF PREMELTONS SIGNAL

THE BEGINNING AND ENDS OF GENES

remeltons are examples of emergent structures (i.e. structural solitons)

that arise spontaneously in DNA due to the presence of nonlinear

excitations in its structure. They are of two kinds: B-B (or A-A) premeltons

form at specific DNA regions to nucleate site-specific DNA melting. These

are stationary and being globally nontopological, undergo breather motions

that allow drugs and dyes to intercalate into DNA. B-A (or A-B) premeltons,

on the other hand, are mobile and being globally topological, act as phase-

boundaries transforming B-DNA into A-DNA during the structural phase-

transition. They are not expected to undergo breather-motions. A key feature

of both types of premeltons is the presence of an intermediate structural form

in their central regions (proposed as being a transition state intermediate in

DNA-melting and in the B- to A- transition), which differs from either A- or B-

DNA called beta-DNA, this is both metastable and hyperflexible and contains

an alternating sugar-puckering pattern along the polymer-backbone combined

with the partial-unstacking (in its lower energy-forms) of every other base-pair.

Beta-DNA is connected to either B- or to A- DNA on either side by boundaries

possessing a gradation of nonlinear structural-change, these being called the

kink and the antikink regions. The presence of premeltons in DNA leads to a

unifying theory to understand much of DNA physical-chemistry and molecular-

biology. Premeltons are predicted to define the 5’ and 3’ ends of genes in

naked-DNA and DNA in active-chromatin, this having important implications

for understanding physical aspects of the initiation, elongation and termination

of RNA-synthesis during transcription. For these and other reasons, the model

will be of broader interest to the general audience working in these areas. The

model explains a wide variety of data and carries within it several experimental

predictions, all readily testable and will be described in my talk.

Biography

Henry M Sobell has completed his studies at

Brooklyn Technical High School (1948-1952), Co-

lumbia College (1952-1956) and the University of

Virginia School of Medicine (1956-1960). Instead

of practicing clinical medicine, he went to the Mas-

sachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to join

Professor Alexander Rich in the Department of

Biology (1960-1965) and Helen Hay Whitney, post-

doctoral fellow, where he learned the technique

of single crystal x-ray analysis. He then joined the

Chemistry Department at the University of Roch-

ester, having been subsequently jointly appointed

to both the Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics

departments, becoming a full tenured Professor in

both the departments (1965-1993).

sobell@localnet.com

Henry M Sobell

University of Rochester, USA