A minimalist theory to predict protein movements
Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - 07:21
in Physics & Chemistry
Proteins are large molecules that carry out all basic cell functions. In order to achieve this, they continually change shape by expanding or contracting parts; they hide surfaces or reveal them to interaction with other molecules. However, these changes are very difficult to observe and the methods used by scientists to study them involve costly simulations performed in supercomputers. A joint study between scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has now allowed the development of a much simpler method that permits equally precise predictions and can be done on a standard pc. The results have been published in Nature Communications.