个人简介

B.A., Cambridge University M.Phil., Ph.D., Yale University

研究领域

Catalytic DNA/RNA, Biosensors

A major and long-term interest of my research program is to gain a deep understanding of the catalytic possibilities of DNA and RNA. Astonishing recent discoveries in the biology of RNA (such as riboswitches and miRNA) have shown it to be anything but a passive carrier of genetic information. Indeed, the existence of ribozymes (catalytic RNAs) has long bolstered the notion of an “RNA World”, an early stage in evolution in which RNA was responsible for both informational and catalytic functions within organisms. A focus of my lab is to search for new and often unexpected catalytic properties of RNA (and of its surrogate, DNA). We are one of only a few labs in the world that specialize in this area; however, our key papers have contributed to new thinking about primordial biochemistry, the de novo design of biocatalysts, and generated often unexpected practical applications, particularly in the field of biosensing.

近期论文

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Chinnapen D.J.-F. and Sen D. (2004) A deoxyribozyme that harnesses light to repair thymine dimers in DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. 101: 65-9. Lee, H.-W. Chinnapen, D.J.-F., and Sen, D. (2004) A Structure-Function Investigation of a Deoxyribozyme with Dual Chelatase and Peroxidase Activities. Pure and Applied Chemistry (in press) Fahlman, R.P., Hsing, M., Sporer-Tuhten, C., and Sen, D. (2003) Duplex Pinching: A Structural Switch Suitable for Contractile DNA Nanoconstructions. Nano Letters (Am. Chem. Soc.) 3: 1073-1078. Yu H.-Z., Luo C.-Y., Sankar C.G. and Sen, D. (2003) Voltammetric procedure for examining DNA-modified surfaces: quantitation, cationic binding activity, and electron-transfer kinetics. Analytical Chemistry 75: 3902-7. Sen, D. and Chinnapen, D.J. (2003) Deoxyribozymes that catalyze photochemistry: cofactor-dependent and -independent photorepair of thymine dimers. Nucleic Acids Research Suppl. 3: 217-8. Fahlman R.P., Sharma R.D. and Sen D. (2002) The charge conduction properties of DNA holliday junctions depend critically on the identity of the tethered photooxidant. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 124: 12477-85. Sen D. (2002) Aptamer rivalry. Chemistry & Biology. 8: 851-2. Wang, D.Y., Lai, B.H.Y., and Sen, D. (2002) A General Strategy for Effector-mediated Control of RNA-cleaving Ribozymes and DNA Enzymes. Journal of Molecular Biology 318, 33-43. Wang D.Y., Sen, D. (2002) Rationally designed allosteric variants of hammerhead ribozymes responsive to the HIV-1 Tat protein. Combinatorial Chemistry and High Throughput Screening. 5: 301-12. Fahlman, R.P. and Sen, D. (2002) DNA Conformational Switches as Sensitive Electronic Sensors of Analytes. Journal of the American Chemical Society 124, 4610-4616. Chinnapen, D.J.F. and Sen, D. (2002) Hemin-Stimulated Docking of Cytochrome c to a Hemin-DNA Aptamer Complex. Biochemistry 41, 5202-5212. Wang, D.Y., Lai, B.H.Y., Feldman, A.R., and Sen, D. (2002) A general approach for the use of oligonucleotide effectors to regulate the catalysis of RNA-cleaving ribozymes and DNAzymes. Nucleic Acids Research 30, 1735-1742. Feldman, A.R. and Sen, D. (2001) A New and Efficient DNA Enzyme for the Sequence-specific Cleavage of RNA. Journal of Molecular Biology 313, 283-294. Witting, P.K., Travascio, P., Sen, D., and Mauk, A.G. (2001) A DNA Oligonucleotide-Hemin Complex Cleaves t-Butyl Hydroperoxide through a Homolytic Mechanism. Inorganic Chemistry 40, 5017-5023. Wang, D.Y. and Sen, D. (2001) A Novel Mode of Regulation of an RNA-cleaving DNAzyme by Effectors that Bind to Both Enzyme and Substrate. Journal of Molecular Biology 310, 723-734. Travascio, P., Witting, P.K., Mauk, A.G., and Sen, D. (2001) The Peroxidase Activity of a Hemin--DNA Oligonucleotide Complex: Free Radical Damage to Specific Guanine Bases of the DNA. Journal of the American Chemical Society 123, 1337-1347. Geyer, C.R. and Sen, D. (2000) Use of Intrinsic Binding Energy for Catalysis by a Cofactor-independent DNA Enzyme. Journal of Molecular Biology 299, 1387-1398. Fahlman, R.P. and Sen, D. (1999) “Synapsable” DNA Double Helices: Self-Selective Modules for Assembling DNA Superstructures. Journal of the American Chemical Society 121, 11079-11085. Travascio, P., Bennet, A.J., Wang, D.Y., and Sen, D. (1999) A ribozyme and a catalytic DNA with peroxidase activity: active sites versus cofactor-binding sites. Chemistry & Biology 6, 779-787. Li, Y. and Sen, D. (1998) A Small and Efficient DNA Enzyme. Structure, Motion, Interaction and Expression of Biological Macromolecules and Function, Volume 1 (Adenine Press): 139-150.