How fast does a protein fold? Real-time technique captures the moment
4 days ago
- #biophysics
- #protein-folding
- #fluorescence-spectroscopy
- Scientists have made direct measurements of how long it takes an individual protein to fold.
- No relationship was found between a protein’s sequence or size and its folding time.
- Proteins fold more efficiently than other biomolecules like DNA, despite their complexity.
- Protein functions are closely tied to their 3D structures, starting as strings of amino acids.
- Improper folding can lead to dysfunction, disease, or toxicity.
- Transition-path time, the duration of the folding act itself, was measured for the first time.
- Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy was improved to capture the brief transition period.
- Dye-labelled molecules were used to observe the folding moment in eight proteins.