Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy - A Tool for Determining the Diffusive States of Cytosolic Molecules
Published on: September 5, 2019
Conformational Sampling of Maltose-transporter Components in Cartesian Collective Variables is Governed by the
1Department of Chemistry and Biophysics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Abstract:
We have studied large-scale conformational transitions in the maltose-binding protein, and the nucleotide binding domains of a maltose-transporter using enhanced conformational sampling in Cartesian collective variables (CVs) with temperature-accelerated molecular dynamics (TAMD), and C(α)-based elastic network normal mode analysis. Significantly, every functional displacement in the TAMD-generated pathways of each protein could be rationalized via a single low-frequency soft mode, while a combination of 2 to 3 low-frequency modes were found to describe the entire conformational change suggesting that collective functional movement in TAMD trajectories is facilitated by the intrinsically accessible low-frequency normal modes. By applying a harmonic potential to facilitate functional motion in TAMD simulations, we also provide a recipe to reproducibly generate structural transitions in both proteins, which can be used to characterize large-scale conformational changes in other biomolecules.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Variable-Temperature NMR
The Significance of Membrane Transport
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Carbohydrate Absorption
After being swallowed, the partially digested carbohydrates mix with gastric secretions in the stomach. However, the acidic environment...

