Objetivo Telomeres, the ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, are one of the most versatile “molecular machines” of life. They perform a vital role in several fundamental processes in biology, as maintenance of genome integrity and the regulation of cell growth. Human telomeric DNA consists of thousands of tandem repeats of guanine-rich sequences, terminating the chromosomes. Under physiological conditions, such guanine-rich repeats are capable of adopting four stranded structures, called G-quadruplex DNA. Considerable research has been dedicated to an understanding of functions of telomeres, and during the past decades, much progress has been made towards identifying the underlying processes for G-quadruplex DNA isolated in vitro. However, most of our knowledge of conformation and mechanistic understanding of the balance between the structure and function of telomeric DNA inside cells has remained very limited, largely due to a lack of suitable methods. An opportunity to bridge this gap is single-molecule fluorescence microscopy in combination with Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), a powerful technique that allows distances, distance distributions, and dynamics of individual biological molecules to be measured even in complex and heterogeneous environments, as cellular milieu.The goal of this project is to employ such optical single-molecule techniques to perform a comprehensive biophysical analysis of the folding and dynamics of G-quadruplex DNA within live cells. This investigation will provide an idea of how accurately our current understanding of the folding and dynamics of G-quadruplex DNA in vitro describes the situation inside the living cell, and will, among other aspects, be crucial for understanding the biological functions of G-quadruplexes and in particular may stimulate the enhancement of the efficacy of the novel anticancer therapies, which use these structures as an active target for drug development. Ámbito científico natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticschromosomesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomeseukaryotic genomes Programa(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Tema(s) MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Convocatoria de propuestas H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoria Régimen de financiación MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinador AARHUS UNIVERSITET Aportación neta de la UEn € 212 194,80 Dirección NORDRE RINGGADE 1 8000 Aarhus C Dinamarca Ver en el mapa Región Danmark Midtjylland Østjylland Tipo de actividad Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Enlaces Contactar con la organización Opens in new window Sitio web Opens in new window Participación en los programas de I+D de la UE Opens in new window Red de colaboración de HORIZON Opens in new window Coste total € 212 194,80