More Than a Snapshot: Proteins in Motion

A single snapshot is often not enough to understand how biological molecules work. Proteins, for example, can change their shape depending on their environment—sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich from Helmholtz Information and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have now visualized these shape changes using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. This technique not only captures individual molecular structures, but also entire ensembles of possible states. Their findings provide new insights into protein flexibility and the molecular dynamics involved in neurodegenerative diseases. The study was recently published in the prestigious journal Journal of the American Chemical Society.(Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich – Press Release)…