Nucleic acids - DNA and RNA - play the key informational role in the cell. But they are also structural, regulatory, and they can even behave like enzymes. The DNA in the nucleus is wrapped up in chromatin structure, yet it remains accessible to the transcription machinery and to repair proteins. Moreover its topology is manipulated by extraordinary enzymes. RNA undergoes a complex folding process that creates structures that can recognise and bind small molecules, and even accelerate chemical reactions by a million fold or more. RNA can control its own processing, catalyze protein synthesis and act as a key regulatory molecule in the cell. Understanding all these processes at the molecular level is the major theme of this conference.
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