xt7m901zgr2n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7m901zgr2n/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky University of Kentucky Chemistry Department 20130412 A brochure for the Naff Symposium, an event hosted by the University of Kentucky Chemistry Department supported by the Anna S. Naff Endowment Fund. This brochure belongs to the University of Kentucky Chemistry Department Records collection, accession number 2014ua075. archival material  English University of Kentucky Chemistry Department Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. University of Kentucky Chemistry Department Naff Symposium brochures 39th Annual Symposium on Chemistry and Molecular Biology: "The Origin of Life" text 39th Annual Symposium on Chemistry and Molecular Biology: "The Origin of Life" 2013 2017 true xt7m901zgr2n section xt7m901zgr2n 39th Annual Symposmm on
1 i 5 '
A , ~ ' Chemistry&
" . . ; ’i, ,i‘ “ Z QEEESE
i _ I . . Qe O 3—3 :i
go; ~ t aéhiez
: , Z 902 i t
o. Molecular
0.
8:00AM Registration & Continental Breakfast, - Could RNA have emerged in the prebiotic era?
Keeneland Room, W.T. Young Library The lecture will present our attempts towards an I
8:45AM Welcome - Dr. Eli Capilouto, understanding gained by comparing the properties B I O I o g y
President of the University of Kentucky of RNA to its potentially (generationally simpler)
9:00AM Dr. Robert Hazen, George Mason University natural alternatives, Such an approach not only
Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins discloses unconventional informational systems,
novel chemical reactivity and reaction pathways, but
Is life's origin a cosmic imperative manifest — more importantly — provides an appreciation for the
throughout the cosmos, or is life an improbable uniqueness of the structure and function of RNA in fl 7‘ .5333. .‘
accident, restricted to a few planets (or only one)? the context of chemical evolution. .. I}.
Lacking observations of ecosystems beyond " E ' ' .
our own world, scientists seek experimental and 11:30AM Lunch 3 ‘3 f"
theoretical frameworks to deduce the origin of life. 1:30PM Poster Session ; 351,335.1'33» i- .. I,”
In this context the concept of emergent systems Gallery, W.T. Young Library A“ 3‘? .1 ‘ ,—
provides a unifying approach. Natural systems with 2:30PM Dr. Ada Yonath, Weizmann Institute of Science ”@3733“, , M '3
many interacting components, such as molecules, Origins of life: from prebiotic peptide bond was , -
cells or organisms, often display complex behavior formation to the contemporary ribosome 3.3"" " i
not associated with their individual components. ' . f
‘ The origin of life can be modeled as a sequence of Ribosomes possess spectacular architecture 3,; ‘ “uses-i
emergent events — the synthesis of biomolecules, accompanied by inherent mobility, allowing for their . Fm w
_ the selection and organization of those small smooth performance as polymerases of amino acids. ”:53” . A-
molecules into functional macromolecules, the Peptide bonds are formed and elongated within a M‘“”
emergence of self—replicating molecular systems, universal semi-symmetrical region connecting all of .
and the initiation of molecular natural selection — the remote ribosomal features involved in nascent Established by M Benton Naff
which transformed the lifeless geochemical world of chain creation and elongation. The elaborate in memory of Anna S. Naff
oceans, atmosphere and rocks into a living planet. architecture of this reaction positions ribosomal a
This framework guides origin experiments, which substrates in appropriate stereochemistry for peptide l— , V: : ,. . ,. r I
can be designed to focus on each emergent step. bond formation, substrate—mediated catalysis, Ln 8 ‘ *1 ’ “ "
substrate translocation and nascent chair insertion > LO 3
10:00AM Break (refreshments available) into their exit tunnel, b 8 O
10:30AM Dr. Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, ‘2 32 | LL] Friday, Aprll 12, 2013
Scripps Research Institute The high conservation of this region implies its E L) KO DC
In Search of Alternatives to Understand the existence irrespective of environmental conditions 2 3 8 Lu
Emergence of RNA implying that it may represent an ancient RNA U C Q Q SPEAKERS
apparatus with bonding capabilities, which turned u— (D ‘1' >
Though the emergence of RNA is viewed as into peptide bond maker, thus capable of creating 0 if >- E Dl’. RObert Haze”:
a critical step in the origins of life field, our oIigopeptides. Those oIigopeptides that were found E O x W Dr, Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy
understanding of how (and why) RNA emerged useful survived and triggered the formation of the 0.) > C U)
in Nature is equivocal and continues to engage, genetic does, which was optimized simultaneously E '5; 9 V7 Dl’. Ada Yonath
intrigue and fascinate the imagination. From a purely with the optimization of the bonding apparatus, 4: a CD E
chemical point of view the questions, in this context, namely the ribosome, as well as the genetic code, its 8 > E Q
are: molecular tools and its products: the mature proteins. (1) E 6 Q Department of Chemistry
- What is speCIal about the components (ribose, Q 3 —I <1: University of Kentucky
phosphate and canonical nucleobases) — and the 4:00PM Award Ceremony ° Lexington, KY 40506—0055
emergent properties — of RNA? z
5 &
Anr‘safiéié'fices

 The Department of Chemistry, UniverSIty of Kentucky
presents the
39th Annual Symposrum on
Chemistry & Molecular Biology
Established by M. Benton Naff in memory of Anna S. Naff
Friday,ApriI12, 2013 | 9:00AM
Auditorium, William T. Young Library
it
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE it
I i
Robert Hazen is a Research Scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Geophysical
Laboratory and the Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Science at George Mason University. He
~' received his BS. and SM from MIT in 1971, and Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1975. After studies as
v ' NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at Cambridge University, he Joined the Carnegie Institution. Hazen is author
. 7 of more than 350 articles and 20 books on science, history. and music A Fellow of the American
.1 _} Association for the Advancement of Science, he has received the Mineralogical Society of America
. ‘ -.- , gift,“ Award (1982), the American Chemical Society lpatieff Prize (1986), the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award
" gt» (1989), the Educational Press Assocration Award (1992), the Elizabeth Wood Science Writing Award
. (1998). and the Distinguished Public Service Medal of the Mineralogical Socrety of America (2009).
' 4 Hazen's recent research focuses on the role of minerals in the origin of life, including such processes
as mineral—catalyzed organic synthesis and the selective adsorption of organic molecules on mineral
surfaces. He has also developed a new approach to mineralogy, called ”mineral evolution," which explores the co—evolution
of the geo— and biospheres. In addition, hers PrinCipal Investigator of the Deep Carbon Observatory, which is a 10—year
international effort to achieve fundamental advances in understanding the chemical and biological roles of carbon in Earth's
interior. Hazen has also written widely for popular audiences, including articles in magazines such as Newsweek, Scientific
. American, New SCientist and The New York Times Magazine, and he appears frequently on radio and televrsion programs
on science, In addition to his scientific activrties, Robert Hazen was a professional trumpeter until 2011. He performed with
numerous prestigious ensembles including the Metropolitan, New York City, Boston, and Washington Operas. the Royal,
Bolshoi. Jeoffrey, and Kirov Ballets; the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, and the Orchestre de Paris.
.~-A».._-..._..o..._._t Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the Scripps Research
.' Institute in La Jolla, and a member of the NSF—NASA sponsored Center for Chemical Evolution.

é! He received his BS. from University of Madras in 1984, MS, from the Indian institute of Technology,
;' .1 ,_ i Bombay in 1986 working with Professor K. D. Deodhar, and PhD. from the Ohio State University in
It?” " ' i 1992 under Professor David Hart After graduate work at Ohio State University, he was a postdoctoral

1.; fellow at the SWiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) with Professor Albert Eschemoser, where
'\ . 1“ he remained until 1994, He then moved to La Jolla for a second postdoctoral experience at the
L. Scripps Institution of Oceanography working with Professor Gustaf Arrhenius. He became a Senior
‘ Research Associate of the Skaggs institute for Chemical Biology (19961997) and an Investigator
'\ , , (2005—2009), He joined the chemistry faculty of the Scripps Research Institute in 1998 as an Assistant
Professor. His research is focused on the use of synthetic organic chemistry and methodology to
experimentally address questions concerning the origins of life, as well as to develop tools for molecular bio—mimicry and
chemical therapeutics. He has received the ISSOL Fellow Award (2011) and is a member of the NASA Astrobiology Science
and Technology Instrument Development Review Panel since 2006, and the NASA Exobiology and Planetary Protection
Research ReView Panel since 2002.
, " ii Ada Yonath is the Director of the Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Assemblies and the Kimmel

‘ ; ' - Professor of Structural Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. She received her BS.
igfg ‘ j; in 1962, MS. in 1964 both from the Hebrew University and PhD. from the Weizmann Institute in 1968.
y; 332;}?v‘t'figrf . After graduate work, she accepted postdoctoral pOSitions at the Carnegie Mellon UniverSity (1969)
“’2‘ 433$! y» and MIT (1970). While a postdoc at MIT she spent some time at Harvard University in the lab of William
E “f 7_" Lipscomb, an alumnus from the University of Kentucky. In 1970, she started a protein crystallography
. "'1 _, i laboratory in Rehovot at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She was a Lecturer at Tel—Aviv and Ben
Eh“: _ Gurion UniverSIties between 1971 and 1978 and a Visiting SCientist at the University of Alabama (1974)
. W ' and the University of Chicago (1977-1978). Yonath was also a Visiting Professor at the Universidad

Austral of Chile (1978), and the Max—Plank Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin (1979-1983). She
was successively promoted to Associate Professor of Structural Chemistry (1984) and Professor of
Structural Biology (1988) at the Weizmann Institute of SCience. Among other responsibilities, she was the Head of the Max—
Plank Research Unit in Hamburg (1986-2004) and the Director of the Mazer Center for Structural Biology at the Weizmann
Institute of Science (1988—2004). Yonath has received honorary degrees and the most prestigious awards in Austria. China,
England, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy. Hungary, Japan, Norway, Panama, Poland, Sweeden, Swrtzerland, Taiwan,
the United States of America and the Vatican. Yonath's work aims to understand the mechanisms underlying protein
biosynthesrs, by ribosomal crystallography, Ada Yonath shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 with Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz. She contributed fundamental studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.
Additionally, Yonath elucidated the modes of action of over twenty different antibiotics targeting the ribosome, illuminated
mechanisms of drug resistance and synergism, and decipher-ed the structural basis for antibiotic selectivity.
For additional Information, contact Professor Marcelo Guzman, Department of Chemistry at marceloguzmanCdukyedu
2013 Committee: Professor Marcelo Guzman (Chair, Chemistry)
Professor Jason DeRouchey (Chemistry)
Professor Chris Richards (Chemistry)
Professor Anne—Francis Miller (Chemistry)
Professor Vincent Cassone (Biology)
Symposium supported by the Anna S. Naff Endowment Fund