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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy to Study Picosecond-Nanosecond Dynamics of Proteins and Hydration Water
Published on: April 28, 2022
Softness and non-spherical shape define the phase behavior and the structural properties of lysozyme in aqueous
A Baumketner1, R Melnyk1, M F Holovko1
1Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, NAS of Ukraine, 1 Svientsistsky St., Lviv 79011, Ukraine.
Abstract:
In this study, Boltzmann inversion is applied in conjunction with molecular dynamics simulations to derive inter-molecular potential for protein lysozyme in aqueous solution directly from experimental static structure factor. The potential has a soft repulsion at short distances and an attraction well at intermediate distances that give rise to the liquid-liquid phase separation. Moreover, Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that a non-spherical description of lysozyme is better suited to correctly reproduce the experimentally observed properties of such a phase separation. Our findings shed new light on the common problem in molecular and cell biology: "How to model proteins in their natural aqueous environments?"
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