Graduate Student
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Office: 3107D Young Hall, (310) 825-6790
Lab: 2110 Young Hall, (310) 825-7193
Research Interest: to study the physical properties of viruses
Bacteriophage λ infects bacteria by ejecting its single molecule of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) into the host bacterial cell, while leaving its empty capsid outside. The dsDNA of phage λ is approximately 17,000 nm in length with a persistence length of 50 nm, while the capsid is only 30 nm in radius. The capsid of phage λ is therefore highly pressurized due to the crowding, bending, and the electrostatic repulsion of the dsDNA. We are interested in the dynamics of the genome ejection from the phage λ to the host cell, a process initially driven by the stored energy density (pressure) in the capsid. We will study this process in vitro by constructing an artificial system into which the phage λ dsDNA can eject.
