Biophysics of Nucleic Acids Celebrating the 75th Birthday of Professor Kenneth J. Breslauer

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue celebrates the seminal contributions of Professor Kenneth J. Breslauer to the field of DNA and RNA biophysics during more than five decades of his service to science, and is dedicated to the 75^th anniversary of his birthday. In addition to being one of the most important classes of molecules of life, nucleic acids are an exciting and exceedingly rewarding subject for biophysical research. The polymorphic nature of DNA and RNA, their conformational flexibility, responsiveness to subtle changes in chemical environment, and multiplicity and combinatorial diversity of their recognition sites render these molecules not just a reservoir of genetic information but also important elements of control in a myriad of cellular events. More recently, nucleic acids have increasingly been used as structural building blocks in nanotechnological applications. Notwithstanding the seventy years of intensive research since the discovery of the double helix, DNA continues to remain very much an enigma, making it a fertile ground for biophysical studies. In one particular development, multidisciplinary research into noncanonical DNA and RNA structures has produced an increasing body of evidence underscoring their biological roles and association with disease. A major and still elusive goal of biophysical research is to develop predictive algorithms to evaluate the sequence-specific, interacting partner-specific, and local environment-specific conformational preferences of functionally important domains within the genome and to selectively modulate these preferences in a controlled manner by low-molecular-weight ligands.

This Special Issue plans to publish a wide selection of papers on fundamental physical, chemical, and biological properties of canonical and noncanonical nucleic acid structures; their recognition by ligands, proteins, and other nucleic acids; their role in cellular events; as well as biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. Particular emphasis will be placed on the evolutionary progress from in vitro studies of intentionally simplified DNA and RNA models in dilute solutions to in vivo studies of extremely intricate nucleic acid complexes in the crowded environment of the cell. Submissions are open to both theoretical and experimental scientists. Contributions can be original research papers, reviews, perspectives, personal reminiscences associated with interactions/associations with Professor Kenneth J. Breslauer, or a hybrid of these formats. Contributions solely containing personal reminiscences will be collected in an extended Editorial.

Prof. Dr. Tigran Chalikian
Dr. Jens Völker
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.