UNIVERSAL WAY TO SEE MOTIONS OF PROTEINS

摘要

Proteins do not simply sit still, and vibrational spectroscopy is a common method for studying various protein motions. But a significant problem with the method is that it is very difficult for scientists to isolate motions in different parts of a sizable protein. Now Sebastian Peuker, Sebastian Westenhoff, and colleagues have come up with a way to pinpoint how different parts of a protein move (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5bl2680). Their method enables scientists to construct a protein made with a specific, isotopically labeled amino acid. This tagged amino acid makes it possible to determine by vibrational spectroscopy how a specific part of the protein moves.