| Popis: |
Reactive oxygen species can cause damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids through the generation of free radicals. Oxidative damage in DNA has been studied quite extensively, with comparatively little work done on oxidative damage in RNA, which has been shown to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The goal of the project is to create a radical precursor that can be used to study oxidative damage in RNA, using pseudouridine, the most common modified nucleotide found in RNA. Introduction of a photolabile pivaloyl group at the C5¿ site of pseudouridine will allow for the generation of a free radical at a specific position, leading to insights as to the mechanism of oxidative damage. |
