Protein Folding: One Picture Per Millisecond Illuminates The Process
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 - 08:28
in Physics & Chemistry
Newly developed KITA-spectroscopy (Kinetic Terahertz Absorption Spectroscopy) was applied to protein folding with a resolution of one picture per millisecond and combined with other biophysical methods, such as X-ray diffraction (SAXS), fluorescence and CD spectroscopy. Researchers observed that folding proceeds in two phases. In a very rapid first phase, the protein collapses in less than a millisecond, while at the same time, a rearrangement of the protein-water network takes place.