Nucleic Acid Chemical Biology

I will present our efforts to design and develop molecular probes that can selective label nucleic acids in vitro and inside cells. These probes allow RNA secondary structure mapping, profiling single-stranded DNA for active transcription annotation, mapping RNA-RNA interactions inside cells, and covalent targeting of nucleic acids. I will also present our recent studies on RNA modifications. Over 150 types of post-transcriptional RNA modifications have been identified in all kingdoms of life. We have discovered RNA demethylation and characterized proteins that selectively recognize m6A-modified mRNA and affect the translation status and lifetime of the target RNA. I will present our recent advances on developing chemical and biochemical methods to sequence various RNA modifications. 

Speaker: Chuan He, University of Chicago