We are delighted to invite you to a half-day symposium on Structured (non-canonical) Nucleic Acids, ‘the blessing and the curse’ of the genome. The research over the last decade clearly demonstrated that Structured Nucleic Acids form in living cells, are ubiquitous across the tree of life, and are important for multiple cellular processes. Non-canonical (non-B) DNA forms transiently (at 13% of the human genome, for example!) and is involved in regulation of replication, transcription, and translation. Structured RNA is also emerging as an important modulator of vital molecular functions, in plants in particular. The program of the symposium will include invited talks about the central and essential role of Structured Nucleic Acids in plants and animals, including humans. Applications to human diseases, agriculture, and evolution will be covered. The detailed program: https://www.bx.psu.edu/sna_day/. Please register at tinyurl.com/mr38cpku before April 9.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
- If you have not heard about Structured Nucleic Acids, we will have a tutorial for you
- If you would like to learn about how this topic is related to your research (it most likely is)
- If you work on Structured Nucleic Acids and would like to establish new collaborations
- If you want to learn something new

• 1:00pm: Tutorial on structured nucleic acids by Dr. Kateryna Makova, Professor of Biology, Verne M. Willaman Chair of Life Sciences
• 1:30pm: “Roles for charged bases and tautomers in RNA and DNA structure” by Dr. Phil Bevilacqua, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• 1:45pm: “Sensing the environment through RNA structure” by Dr. Sally Assmann, Waller Professor of Biology
• 2:00pm: “The roles of non-B DNA structures in promoter activity and splicing regulation” by Dr. Ilias Georgakopoulos-Soares, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine
• 2:15pm: “Interplay of DNA polymerases and DNA secondary structures on the road to genome instability” by Dr. Kristin Eckert, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine
• Intermission from 2:30-3:00pm
• 3:00pm: Robert Simpson and Sons Lecture in Molecular Medicine:“Novel Mechanisms of Genetic Instability in Cancer”by Dr. Karen Vasquez, Professor and Division Head of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin

Reception to follow – Garden Room, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center