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Updated: May 7, 2026

Study of Protein Dynamics via Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy
Published on: April 13, 2022
Myoglobin on silica: a case study of the impact of adsorption on protein structure and dynamics
Stéphanie Devineau1, Jean-Marc Zanotti, Camille Loupiac
1Laboratoire de Radiolyse, SIS2M, IRAMIS, UMR3299 CEA-CNRS , 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Abstract:
If protein structure and function changes upon adsorption are well documented, modification of adsorbed protein dynamics remains a blind spot, despite its importance in biological processes. The adsorption of metmyoglobin on a silica surface was studied by isotherm measurements, microcalorimetry, circular dichroïsm, and UV-visible spectroscopy to determine the thermodynamic parameters of protein adsorption and consequent structure modifications. The mean square displacement and the vibrational densities of states of the adsorbed protein were measured by elastic and inelastic neutron scattering experiments. A decrease of protein flexibility and depletion in low frequency modes of myoglobin after adsorption on silica was observed. Our results suggest that the structure loss itself is not the entropic driving force of adsorption.
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