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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy to Study Picosecond-Nanosecond Dynamics of Proteins and Hydration Water
Published on: April 28, 2022
Effects of hydration water on protein methyl group dynamics in solution
Daniela Russo1, Greg L Hura, John R D Copley
1CNR-INFM & CRS/SOFT, c/o Institut Laue Langevin, 6 rue J. Horowitz, BP156, F-38042 Grenoble, France.
Abstract:
Elastic and quasielastic neutron scattering experiments have been used to investigate the dynamics of methyl groups in a protein-model hydrophobic peptide in solution. The results suggest that, when the hydrophobic side chains are hydrated by a single hydration water layer, the only allowed motions are confined and attributed to librational and rotational movement associated with the methyl groups. They provide unique experimental evidence that the structural and dynamical properties of the interfacial water strongly influence the side-chain dynamics and the activation of diffusive motion.
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