Atomic-level motion may drive bacteria's ability to evade immune system defences

摘要

A study from Indiana University, USA, has found evidence that extremely small changes in how atoms move in bacterial proteins can play a big role in how these microorganisms function and evolve. The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (doi: 10.1073/pnas.l620665114), is a major departure from prevailing views about the evolution of new functions in organisms, which regarded a protein's shape, or 'structure', as the most important factor in controlling its activity.