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Non-canonically base paired nucleic acids and the emergent properties of Pseudomonas biofilms

Specialized iNANO lecture | Dr. Thomas Seviour, Singapore Center for Environmental Life Science Engineering

Info about event

Time

Friday 30 August 2019,  at 11:15 - 12:00

Location

iNANO 1593-226, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C

Dr. Thomas Seviour, Senior Research Fellow at Singapore Center for Environmental Life Science Engineering (SCELSE)

Non-canonically base paired nucleic acids and the emergent properties of Pseudomonas biofilms

Dr. Seviour will show the functional differences between extracellular and chromosomal DNA in terms of their higher order assembly. Their work allowed them to analyse the origin of extracellular DNA (eDNA), how it is organized in a biofilm, using solid state NMR to characterise the nature of the base-pair interactions contributing to eDNA networking. This led to the conclusion that G-quadruplexed NA structures likely account for the persistence and elastic properties of Pseudomonas biofilm matrices. Extracellular RNA is present along with eDNA in the matrix of these biofilms and likely modulate DNA phase separation due to their greater structural versatility and demonstrated ability to mediate phase separation of biomolecules.

Host: Associate Professor Rikke Louise Meyer, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center & Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University