Title: Shedding light on DNA conformational diversity via fluorescence

Speaker: Victoria Birkedal, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience center (iNANO) and centre for DNA nanotechnology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark

Abstract: 

Fluorescence spectroscopy and resonance energy transfer are versatile techniques that allow investigating molecular interactions and conformational changes of biomolecules and obtaining insights into the “machinery” of biological systems. The combination of these thechniques with single molecule microscopy is a powerful tool: it offers first views of static and dynamic sample heterogeneity and of intermediates undetectable by more conventional structural and biochemical methods. We have set up a multi-color single molecule fluorescence microscopy experiment that allows investigating conformation dynamics of biomolecules based on direct real time observation of the dynamics of individual molecules, see figure below.    

In this talk, I will present our experimental approach using alternating two color excitation and discuss its applications to different DNA based systems.

Coffee, tea and cake will be served at 15:05