First successful protein structural analysis in a levitating drop of liquid
Knowledge of the exact structure of proteins – those biological molecules that perform multifaceted and essential functions in the organism – is crucial, for example, in producing new active ingredients for drugs. This protein structure is normally deciphered by means of X-radiation through so-called X-ray structural analysis. Soichiro Tsujino and Takashi Tomizaki, two scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, have used a clever trick to advance this method further: They have successfully determined the structure of a protein inside a levitating drop of liquid. They used ultrasound to make the drop hover in the air. With this trick they were able to carry out the structural analysis at room temperature and thus very close to the natural conditions in the organism – a major advantage over the classical method, in which the protein sample is fixed to a specimen holder and also must be cooled to low temperatures. Soichiro...