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Updated: May 15, 2026

High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy to Study Picosecond-Nanosecond Dynamics of Proteins and Hydration Water
Published on: April 28, 2022
Temperature and solvent dependence of the dynamical landscape of tau protein conformations
Antonio Bianconi1, Gabriele Ciasca, Alexander Tenenbaum
1Physics Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy.
Abstract:
We report the variation with temperature of the ensemble distribution of conformations spanned by the tau protein in its dynamical states measured by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) using synchrotron radiation. The SAXS data show a clear temperature variation of the distribution of occupied protein conformations from 293 to 318 K. More conformations with a smaller radius of gyration are occupied at higher temperature. The protein-solvent interactions are shown by computer simulation to be essential for controlling the dynamics of protein conformations, providing evidence for the key role of water solvent in the protein dynamics, as proposed by Giorgio Careri.
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