Prof Nynke Dekker
Our long-term goal is to understand how molecular motors work together with accessory factors in the copying of DNA or RNA
Prof Nynke Dekker
Dynamics of DNA and RNA replication
Our research group focuses on probing the dynamics of DNA and RNA replication at the single-molecule level, focusing on the activity of individual molecular motors engaged in these processes. The long-term goal is to understand how these molecular motors work together with accessory factors to copy DNA or RNA, even in the light of protein obstacles that can be present, such as nucleosomes in the case of DNA.
The research is highly interdisciplinary, encompassing both biochemistry and molecular biology as well as biological physics, which makes it challenging but simultaneously very interesting and rewarding. The questions that we seek to answer are biological in nature, and through the integration of state-of-the-art biochemistry with biophysical concepts, analysis, and instrumentation (e.g. single-molecule fluorescence, integrated force-fluorescence spectroscopy), we aim to generate a precise and mechanistic description of these key biological processes. Our research on replication dynamics also has close links to the fields of chromatin biology, epigenetics, transcription, and virology.
To find out more visit our lab website; https://nynkedekkerlab.web.ox.ac.uk/
