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Membrane protein dynamics studied by X-ray lasers - or why only time will tell
1Division of Biology and Chemistry - Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|March 13, 2019
Summary
Recent advances in membrane protein structural biology use X-ray free electron lasers to capture molecular movies. Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography reveals protein dynamics, overcoming previous challenges in studying these vital cellular components.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Structural Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Membrane proteins are crucial cellular components involved in various functions like transport and signaling.
- Studying membrane protein structure and dynamics has historically been challenging.
- Recent technological advancements have significantly improved our ability to investigate membrane proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe recent advances in studying membrane protein conformational dynamics.
- To highlight the application of X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) in membrane protein structural biology.
- To outline technical challenges and new possibilities in the field.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) for structural analysis.
- Employing time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX).
- Integrating sample-efficient high-viscosity injectors into pump-probe setups to capture structural snapshots.
Main Results:
- Generation of molecular movies illustrating proteins in action.
- Determination of structural snapshots of membrane proteins over time.
- Successful application to bacteriorhodopsin, photosystem II, and nitric oxide reductase.
Conclusions:
- XFELs and TR-SFX provide unprecedented insights into membrane protein conformational dynamics.
- Technical challenges in membrane protein structural biology are being overcome.
- New avenues are opening for understanding the function of membrane proteins at a molecular level.
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