New X-ray method ‘can aid tracking of protein movements’

A new imaging technique has been developed that can aid the imaging of proteins as they move in response to electric field pulses.

Created by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the method involves subjecting proteins to large electric fields of about one million volts per centimetre, while simultaneously reading out the effects with X-ray crystallography.

This imaging method can expose the pattern of shape changes associated with a protein's function in real time at an atomic resolution, potentially enabling the creation of video-like images of proteins in action.

It is hoped that this will allow scientists to get a better understanding of how proteins work in both normal and disease states, aiding future protein engineering and drug discovery efforts.

Senior author Dr Rama Ranganathan said: "I think this work has opened a new door to understanding protein function. It is already capable of being used broadly for many very important problems in biology and medicine."

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