Protein Snapshots

Proteins are essential for organisms to function, they are synthesized through ‘instructions’ written in our DNA and help us thrive. In order for a protein to function properly,  it needs to fold in a specific way and manner. If a protein is not folded properly, diseases can affect the person since we all need proteins to work within us in order to live a healthy life. Despite the importance of proteins and the relevance of their folding it is only until now that scientists are starting to delve into the mystery of how and in which order does the folding take place. Michael L. Gross, PhD, developed a new method in order to see the folding in more detail. While biologists capture rapid movements by taking consecutive snapshots, Dr. Gross uses a similar method using barstar. Barstar is a small protein often times used in protein folding experiments because it folds as it warms up with a starting point of 0°C. Barstar is put in a very thin optical fiber with a minuscule amount of hydrogen peroxide. Then, a laser beam hits the solution twice. The first beam is to heat the solution just enough to make a small fold in the protein; the second beam provides the energy for the oxygen to bond to the exposed side of the protein, which is now ‘marked by oxygen’ and allows scientists to know how the protein moves. After this the resulting fold in the protein is analyzed in relation to the initial shape of the amino acids. This procedure is repeated for 500 times, each of them with their respective snapshot and shape analysis after the beam hits twice. Using this method, Dr. Gross and the scientific community will benefit from knowing how rapid protein synthesis and folding takes place. This knowledge will also allow for scientists to know which type of folding is the most harmful for a person, and hopefully someday they will also be able to synthesize proteins that will not only have the same effect and formula, but also the exact same shape and configuration as the originals.

See: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110154645.htm


Posted by Isabella Lara