Protein 'filmed' while unfolding at atomic resolution
Monday, February 11, 2013 - 11:30
in Physics & Chemistry
When proteins get "out of shape", the consequences can be fatal. They lose their function and in some cases form insoluble, toxic clumps that damage other cells and can cause severe diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Göttingen - in collaboration with Polish colleagues - have now "filmed" how a protein gradually unfolds for the first time.