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Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring Intrinsically Disordered Protein Dynamics Through NMR Relaxation Experiments
Published on: November 1, 2024
Novel insights in linking solvent relaxation dynamics and protein conformations utilizing red edge excitation shift
Rupasree Brahma1, H Raghuraman1
1Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata, India.
Abstract:
Protein hydration dynamics plays an important role in many physiological processes since protein fluctuations, slow solvation, and the dynamics of hydrating water are all intrinsically related. Red edge excitation shift (REES) is a unique and powerful wavelength-selective (i.e. excitation-energy dependent) fluorescence approach that can be used to directly monitor the environment-induced restriction and dynamics around a polar fluorophore in a complex biological system. This review is mainly focused on recent applications of REES and a novel analysis of REES data to monitor the structural dynamics, functionally relevant conformational transitions and to unmask the structural ensembles in proteins. In addition, the novel utility of REES in imaging protein aggregates in a cellular context is discussed. We believe that the enormous potential of REES approach showcased in this review will engage more researchers, particularly from life sciences.
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