Measuring protein movements with nanosecond resolution
Monday, March 15, 2010 - 18:21
in Biology & Nature
Researchers at the Department of Chemistry at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed a method that allows the observation of local movements in proteins on a time scale of nanoseconds to microseconds. Upon examining movements of the protein villin using this method they found two structures that were otherwise barely distinguishable from one another. Quick nanosecond-scale structure changes essential for the protein function can take place in the one, while the other remains rigid. These results have been published in the online issue of the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA" (PNAS).