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Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Published on: September 17, 2017
Theoretical Description of Changes in Conformation and Symmetry of Supramolecular Systems During the Reception of a
Yuriy Gorovoy1, Natalia Rodionova2, German Stepanov2
1Faculty of Digital Systems, Yaroslavl State Technical University, Yaroslavl 150023, Russia.
Abstract:
Aqueous solutions are not homogeneous and could be considered supramolecular systems. They can emit electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic emission from one supramolecular system ("source") can be received by another supramolecular system ("receiver") without direct contact (distantly). This process represents a transfer of a "molecular signal" and causes changes in conformation and symmetry of the "receiver". The aim of the current work is to theoretically describe such changes primarily using a solution of the chiral protein interferon-gamma (IFNγ) as an example. We provide theoretical evidence that supramolecular systems of highly diluted (HD) aqueous solutions formed by self-assembly after mechanical activation generate a stronger molecular signal compared to non-activated solutions, due to their higher energy-saturated state. Additionally, molecular signals cause supramolecular systems with complex (including chiral) structures to undergo easier changes in conformation and symmetry compared to simpler systems, enhancing their biological activity. Using statistical physics, we obtained the parameter Ic, characterizing the magnitude of conformational and symmetry changes in supramolecular (including chiral) systems caused by molecular signals. In quantum information science, there is an analogue of the parameter Ic, which characterizes the entanglement depth of quantum systems. This study contributes to the understanding of the physico-chemical basis of distant molecular interactions and opens up new possibilities for controlling the properties of complex biological and chemical systems.
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