Dresden 2009 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 20: DNA, RNA and Chromatin

BP 20.1: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 14:00–14:30, HÜL 186

Artificial biochemical reaction circuits based on DNA and RNA — •Friedrich Simmel, Eike Friedrichs, and Ralf Jungmann — Physik Department E14, TU München

Hybridization between complementary sequences of DNA or RNA combined with production and controlled degradation of RNA regulatory molecules can be used for the construction of simplified analogues of naturally occurring biochemical reaction circuits. Such circuits can be used to employ logical decisions, but also interesting dynamical behavior such as oscillations or bistability into biochemical systems. This can be applied, e.g., to control the motion of molecular devices or the synthesis of functional RNA molecules such as RNA aptamers. Experimentally, the dynamical behavior of these reaction networks is studied in bulk solution (in vitro), but also in small reaction compartments such as lipid vesicles or microemulsion droplets. Experiments are supported by numerical studies using deterministic and stochastic models of the networks.