It is well known that inside nearly every living cell on this planet, there are instructions powering the dynamics of everything in the cell, known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is the genetic code that tells cells where to live, how to live, and how to adapt when things get tough. Editing DNA has unlocked new potential in biology, enabled new therapeutics, diagnostics, and modes of treating diseases. Since DNA is double-stranded, it literally maintains a backup copy of itself to proof-read and facilitate stability of code. The double-stranded nature of DNA also means it can sometimes encode two messages in a given length! In short, DNA is amazing.  

What is less well known is that double-stranded DNA is twisted. All of it. This means that DNA is constantly in a state of torsion. In this talk, we will zoom in on this simple fact: DNA is twisted and examine how the process of turning on and off genes remodels the landscape of DNA twisting. DNA is actually a persistently writhing molecule, experiencing persistent changes in its three-dimensional structure. Under the hood, DNA writhes and twists as a cell struggles to survive. Come and learn how, once again, life has found a way to survive on our beautiful planet. 

About Enoch Yeung:

Enoch Yeung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is also the director of the Biological Control Laboratory, which aims to bring together expertise in synthetic biology, systems biology, and control theory to develop new mechanisms for biological control, especially using principles in genetics and DNA biophysics. Prior to his appointment at UCSB, Enoch was a Senior Research Scientist at the Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.  He holds a PhD in Control and Dynamical Systems from the California Institute of Technology and is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award, the Army Young Investigator Program award, and a Keck Foundation award.