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SUMMARY:Molecular Systems Architecture: from Complexity to Function - Jona
 than Nitschke\, Deartment of Chemistry
DTSTART:20111129T181500Z
DTEND:20111129T193000Z
UID:TALK33500@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Alexey Morgunov
DESCRIPTION:Nature employs self-assembly – the bringing together of mole
 cular sub-units under thermodynamic control\, during which less-stable ass
 emblies are broken up in favour of the most stable assemblies – to const
 ruct her most complex architectures\, from the folds and adhesions that le
 nd tertiary and quaternary structure to proteins\, to the zipping-up of DN
 A. Within living organisms many different self-assembly processes are cont
 inuously occurring in parallel. These processes use many of the same inter
 actions (such as hydrogen bonding\, Coulombic attraction or repulsion\, or
  hydrophobic effects) in similar ways\, yet these parallel self-assembly p
 rocesses are able to avoid interfering with each other.\n\nOne strand of o
 ur research programme seeks to decipher the complex rule sets followed by 
 abiological building blocks as they self-assemble within systems. Once und
 erstood\, these rule sets may be used to create either single complex arch
 itectures\, in which individual building blocks might at first glance have
  several possible destinations\, but where hierarchies of rules collective
 ly direct the system to produce a single product\, or systems of structure
 s that share common building blocks and self-assembly processes\, yet whic
 h self-assemble without interfering with each other.\n\nSystems of the sec
 ond type may be induced to reassemble in complex ways upon the addition of
  a single new building block\, as the incorporation of this building block
  causes one structure to rearrange\, releasing other building blocks that 
 may induce the rearrangement of other structures within the system. The st
 udy of such cascade processes\, and the deciphering of complex self-assemb
 ly rules more generally\, may help shed light upon the underpinnings of bi
 ological complexity. 
LOCATION:Winstanley Lecture Theatre\, Trinity College
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