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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Study of Protein Dynamics via Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy
Published on: April 13, 2022
Single-molecule measurement of protein folding kinetics
Everett A Lipman1, Benjamin Schuler, Olgica Bakajin
1Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Building 5, Room 104, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0520, USA.
Abstract:
In order to investigate the behavior of single molecules under conditions far from equilibrium, we have coupled a microfabricated laminar-flow mixer to a confocal optical system. This combination enables time-resolved measurement of Förster resonance energy transfer after an abrupt change in solution conditions. Observations of a small protein show the evolution of the intramolecular distance distribution as folding progresses. This technique can expose subpopulations, such as unfolded protein under conditions favoring the native structure, that would be obscured in equilibrium experiments.

