Combining chromatography, proteomics and database searching identifies hard-to-find heme proteins
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - 07:31
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) —Iron is a critical part of many biological processes; however, it is often not biologically available or it can be toxic in high quantities. So, biological systems have developed intricate methods for its use and storage. Scientists at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory combined chromatography, proteomics and a database search strategy to find higher numbers of modified iron-containing protein fragments (called peptides) that play an important role in respiration, metal reduction and nitrogen fixation by environmental microbes. The microbes containing these proteins are being studied because of their potential use in microbial fuel cells and electrosynthesis of valuable biomaterials.