Honors Theses
Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
First Advisor
Randy Wadkins
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Single stranded DNA that forms secondary structures has been a popular area of research in recent years. Much research has also been done in the field of heavy metals binding to DNA. Recently, it has been discovered that mercury in the presence of thymines will form T-HgII-T bonds. It is our hypothesis that single stranded DNA rich in thymine residues will form into a structure similar to i-motifs, formed from C-rich single strands, in the presence of mercury. Based on spectral changes during a mercuric titration, it is evident that mercury induces a structural change in T-rich DNA. We then tested the thermal stability of this structure via heat-induced denaturation. Job Plots were constructed to determine the number of Hg2+ binding sites on the DNA and size-exclusion chromatography experiments were conducted to determine if T-I-motif's are formed inter- or intra-molecularly.
Recommended Citation
Boynton, Zachary, "The Effects of Hg2+ on Secondary Structures Formed by T-Rich DNA" (2015). Honors Theses. 969.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/969
Accessibility Status
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