Nanotechnology Now

Home > Press > Computer-rendered flexibility map of Bacteriorhodposin

Nanomechanical Sensing Group, Rowland Institute at Harvard Abstract: Investigators study the properties of proteins, akin to tiny molecular machines with complex moving parts, by analyzing their crystal structures. Computer-rendered flexibility map of Bacteriorhodposin Cambridge, MA | Posted on January 12th, 2010 Given the extremely small physical dimensions involved, capturing the "frozen images of their atoms" is extremely difficult. Moreover, these molecular machines work fast---moving to and fro in mere microseconds. To take a snapshot, a team at the Rowland Institute at Harvard led by Ozgur Sahin, Primary Investigator and Junior Fellow, and Sudhir Husale, postdoctoral fellow, developed a new technology called microsecond force spectroscopy. The method offers dramatically improved spatial and temporal resolutions in mechanical measurements and provides researchers with a robust platform to investigate a wide range of proteins involved in diseases and other biological processes. Pictured is a computer-rendered flexibility map of Bacteriorhodposin, a membrane protein that converts light into electrical energy. The findings were published online in Nature on December 13. Sahin and Husale's collaborators included Henrik H. J. Persson, a Research Associate at the Stanford Genome Technology Center, and Mingdong Dong, a postdoctoral fellow at Rowland. #### About Harvard University Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units. It is also the first and oldest corporation in the United States. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For more information, please click here Copyright © Harvard University If you have a comment, please Contact us. Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Bookmark: Related News Press News and information Iranian Scientists Purify Maghemite Nanoparticles up to 99.99% September 5th, 2010 Submarines could use new nanotube technology for sonar and stealth September 5th, 2010 A model system for group behavior of nanomachines September 5th, 2010 Labor Day finds 200,000 unemployed Minnesotans looking for the next big thing September 5th, 2010 Nanomedicine QB3 researchers illuminate operation of molecular gateway to the cell nucleus September 4th, 2010 Developments in Nanobiotechnology at UCSB Point to Medical Applications September 3rd, 2010 Washington Metro Region Nanotechnology Partnership Forum at NIST September 3rd, 2010 Edible Nanostructures September 3rd, 2010 Tools Caltech Chemists Develop Simple Technique to Visualize Atomic-Scale Structures September 3rd, 2010 FEI Announces New Solutions for Natural Resource Analysis September 2nd, 2010 CRAIC Technologies Introduces the 308 PV™ UV-visible-NIR Spectrophotometer for Your Microscope September 1st, 2010 New Microscope Features Ultra Stable Specimen Stage For High Magnification Navigation August 31st, 2010