Abstract

This FASEB SRC will unite scientists pushing the boundaries of our molecular understanding of the nucleic acid transactions which facilitate life. Information encoded in RNA and DNA is accessed, maintained, decoded and degraded by a staggering number of proteins, protein/DNA and protein/RNA complexes that catalyze specific fundamental enzymatic reactions which drive nucleic acid transactions— not limited to, but including key cellular processes such as DNA replication and repair, recombination, transposition, transcription, translation and epigenetic gene regulation. These protein and RNA machines are impacted in varying disease states, and can be exploited for therapeutic advantage including using CRIPSR gene editing technologies. The use of emerging biophysical methodologies such as single-molecule spectroscopy/microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering, cryo electron microscopy, and chemical biology has opened new doors to exploration of nucleic acid metabolism. This meeting will highlight exciting efforts underway to decipher the anatomy, architecture and mechanisms of these protein and protein-nucleic acid machines in order to understand how they recognize, engage, and manipulate the structure of DNA and RNA. We aim to unite established and future leaders in the field to exchange ideas and formulate new collaborations. We highly encourage student, postdoctoral trainees, and young investigators to attend, and will encourage their attendance with student and postdoc travel scholarships and a large number of oral presentations, to be selected from the abstracts. Selected talks, poster presentations, and recreational activities will present students and postdoctoral fellows with both formal and informal networking opportunities. Additional organized "meet the experts" panel discussions will help junior colleagues navigate various topics related to careers and women in science. This exciting program will facilitate cross-talk between multiple areas of science, techniques, and skill levels to inspire new innovations and quality science in the area of nucleic acid structural and mechanistic biology.