(July 2, 2012) A new method for looking at how proteins fold inside mammal
cells could one day lead to better flu vaccines, among other practical
applications, say Cornell researchers.
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The method, described online in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences July 16, allows researchers
to take snapshots of the cell's protein-making machinery -- called ribosomes --
in various stages of protein production. The scientists then pieced together
the snapshots to reconstruct how proteins fold during their synthesis.
Proteins are made up of long
chains of amino acids called polypeptides, and folding gives each protein its
characteristic structure, which determines its function. Though researchers
have used synthetic and purified proteins to study protein folding, this study
looks at proteins from their inception, providing a truer picture for how
partially synthesized polypeptides can fold in cells.
Proteins fold so quickly -- in
microseconds -- that it has been a longtime mystery just how polypeptide chains
fold to create the protein's structure.