9707480 Ansari This is a Research Planning Grant for Women Scientists and Engineers. Dr. Ansari intends to study the DNA helix-coil transition pathway, and identify and characterize possible intermediates along that pathway. She intends to do this by initiating the uncoiling transition and monitoring the kinetics of relaxation back to equilibrium. There is some evidence that suggests that flanking sequences outside a primary interaction site between a section of DNA and a ligand can render the DNA duplex more unstable, resulting in an increased reactivity with the ligand. The experiments described will ultimately contribute to our understanding of the interplay of the structural, thermodynamic, and dynamic characteristics of DNA and the recognition mechanisms of reacting ligands and proteins. ***
