BRIGE: Mechanics of DNA Motors for Moving Polarity

This Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering (BRIGE) grant provides funding to understand the mechanism of DNA motors dictating their moving polarity. DNA motors are molecular machines that move DNA in living cells to accomplish numerous essential tasks. Despite their enormous significance, our understanding of their mechanics that drives the motion of DNA is limited. Specifically, it remains largely elusive how a DNA motor maintains specific polarity with high fidelity when moving DNA strands, either from the 3' to the 5' end of a DNA strand for a 3'-5' motor, or the opposite for a 5'-3' motor. Surprisingly, the structures of a 3'-5' motor and a 5'-3' motor are similar, further challenging the mechanical studies of these motors to explain their distinct polarities. This project aims to study the mechanics of both 3'-5' and 5'-3' DNA motors to achieve the following two research goals: (1) Determine the force transduction of 3'-5' and 5'-3' DNA motors, and (2) Determine structural effects on the deformation of 3'-5' and 5'-3' DNA motors.

The mechanical studies of DNA motors will enable us to better understand the design principles of DNA motors, facilitating the future design of DNA motors with specified polarity. The results of the study will open doors to new applications such as motor-guided DNA sequencing, motor-delivered gene drugs, and motor-folded 3D DNA scaffolds for nanobiotechnology applications. In terms of education goals, this research will be highly interdisciplinary that requires knowledge in multiple areas, so it will advance the next-generation engineers in integrating knowledge learned from engineering and biological disciplines. This project will specifically emphasize the broadening of participation of underrepresented groups by providing research and lecture opportunities for minority high-school students.