Biological Chemistry Seminar

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Joseph Duke will be presenting a seminar titled A light activated ruthenium-based complex as a photochemical “light switch” for G quadruplex and duplex DNA.

Abstract: This presentation is about the research of Erin Wachter.  G-quadruplex structures have been shown to exist in telomere and oncogene sequences of DNA. [1] Telomere repair and oncogene regulation have been areas of significance to potential cancer treatment.[1] The adjustable nature of the photophysical properties of Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes allows for their potential as probes for such DNA structures. [3] [2] Previous studies have established Ru(bpy)2dppz’s ability to act as a luminescent “light switch” for DNA. [2] [3] A strained derivative of Ru(bpy)2dppz, Ru(bpy)2dmdppz, has been shown to exhibit selectivity for reacting with DNA structures, particularly the G-quadruplex, when activated with blue light. [2] X ray crystallography has shown that the two methyl groups added to dppz introduce a bend in the ligand of 15° compared with Ru(bpy)2dppz.[2]  Studies using solvents of varying protonation and polarity suggest that these compounds react through either associative or interchange associative mechanisms, which is a contrast with an associative mechanism usually characteristic to Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes. [3] Additionally, energy level diagrams have been proposed to explain the behavior of these compounds. [3] Future research includes investigation into how the local environment of DNA structures allows for light activated reaction with these complexes, along with other factors that influence reactivity of the complexes. [3] [2]
 
1. Han, H.; Hurly, LH. G-Quadruplex DNA: a potential target for anti-cancer drug design.  Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2000, 21, 136-142.  
 
2. Wachter, E.; Howerton, BS.; Hall, EC.; Parkin, S.; Glazer, EC. A new type of DNA “light-switch”: a dual photochemical sensor and metalating agent for duplex and G-quadruplex DNA. Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 311-313. 
 
3. Wachter, E.; Glazer, EC. Mechanistic study on the photochemical “light switch” behavior of [Ru(bpy)2dmdppz]2+ J. Phys. Chem. A. 2014, 118, 10474-10485. 
 

Course Instructor: Dr. Yinan Wei

 

Date:
-
Location:
CP-114A/B

Algebra and Geometry Seminar

Gorenstien Projective Precovers



We consider a right coherent and left n-perfect ring R. We prove that the class of Gorenstein projective complexes is special precovering in the category of unbounded complexes, Ch(R). As a corollary, we show that the class of Gorenstein projective modules is special precovering over such a ring.  This is joint work with Sergio Estrada and Sinem Odabasi.

Date:
-
Location:
POT 745
Event Series:
Algebra and Geometry Seminar

French Studies Forum on Paris Attacks

We invite you to a forum discussion organized by French and Francophone Studies at UK on the Paris attacks of January 7-9, 2015. 

UK faculty from the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the Department of History, and the Department of Geography will discuss the recent deadly attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Paris kosher market, as well as provide some context for the social and political debates that continue to emerge in the wake of the attacks.

Discussion participants:

Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (MCLLC)



Dr. Jeffrey Peters, French and Francophone Studies (MCLLC)

Joel Pett, political cartoonist, Lexington Herald-Leader

Dr. Jeremy Popkin, Department of History

Dr. Suzanne Pucci, French and Francophone Studies (MCLLC)

Dr. Leon Sachs, French and Francophone Studies (MCLLC)

Dr. Michael Samers, Department of Geography

Dr. Sadia Zoubir-Shaw, French and Francophone Studies (MCLLC)

Date:
-
Location:
New Student Center, Room 211
Tags/Keywords:
mcllc
history
geography

Mothers as Activists: Power, Protests, and the Media in Mexico

 

Mexico is in a historic moment right now in which change appears to be in the hands of citizens who are demanding an end to the corrupt governance that has resulted in decades of human rights abuses. This lecture will explore violence and activism in Juárez, Mexico focusing on how activists and human rights defenders work to counter a state controlled media monopoly that blames victims for their own deaths.

Bio: Alice Driver is the author of "More or Less Dead: Feminicide, Haunting, and the Ethics of Representation in Mexico" (University of Arizona Press 2015). She recently translated "Abecedario de Juárez," a collaboration between journalist Julián Cardona and artist Alice Leora Briggs that explores and maps the new language of violence in Mexico. 

Date:
-
Location:
Young Library Alumni Gallery (Rm 1-65)
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