Nanofluidics for Single DNA Molecule Analysis

Speaker: Prof. Fredrik Westerlund
Affiliation: Chalmers University, Sweden

Abstract: Nanofluidic channels have emerged as a promising tool to stretch and visualize single DNA molecules. I will discuss two different lines of research in my group regarding nanofluidics and DNA.

We have developed a one step method to map single DNA molecules with kbp resolution. We have applied this method extensively to identification and characterization of bacterial plasmids. Plasmids are relevant because they are responsible for a large fraction of the spread of antibiotic resistance. I will demonstrate how we used our assay to characterize plasmids from a nosocomial outbreak and how this might be used in clinics. I will also show how the method can be used to type the bacteria by mapping the chromosomal DNA. We have recently turned our focus to mapping the human genome and I will show preliminary data on this.

We are also using the nanochannels for studying DNA-protein interactions. An important breakthrough to study proteins in nanochannels was our introduction of lipid bilayers as a passivation coating for nanofluidic channels. Using lipid passivated channels, we have been studying several different DNA-binding proteins, including bacterial RecA, Cox from bacteriophages and NC from the HIV-1 virus. Recent efforts have been devoted to repair of DNA double-strand breaks, both in Non-Homologous End-Joining and Homologous Recombination.

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Feb 20, 2020
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Location:
CNSI – Auditorium
570 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles CA 90095