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                       BIOINFORMATICS COLLOQUIUM
                    School of Computational Sciences
                        George Mason University
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               How Thermodynamics and Natural Selection
             Have Moulded RNA and Protein into Ribosomes

                           David E. Draper
                         Dept. of Chemistry
                      Johns Hopkins University

                       Tuesday, November 9, 2004
                                4:30 pm
               Verizon Auditorium, Prince William Campus

The translation of genetic information into proteins is mediated by the
ribosome, a ubiquitous, large (~2.7 MDaltons) and highly conserved
cellular organelle. The ribosome is unusual in that its structure is
mostly defined by the large RNA molecules that form its active sites;
proteins apparently play a peripheral role in both structure and
function. The availability of atomic-level structural information and
extensive sequence databases now allows many questions about ribosome
structure, function, and evolution to be formulated in precise molecular
terms. This talk will describe several ways we have probed the
significance of specific RNA-RNA and RNA-protein interactions that hold
the ribosome together, using computational, biophysical, and genetic
approaches.

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Refreshments are served at 4:00 pm.  Find the schedule and directions at
http://www.binf.gmu.edu/colloq.html