Nanoscale tool allows scientists to study membrane proteins one at a time

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Isolation chamber. A new tool developed at Rockefeller allows scientists to study membrane proteins individually or in pairs to see how they interact with other molecules. The scientists use an electron microscope to take images of isolated NABBs and ...
Isolation chamber. A new tool developed at Rockefeller allows scientists to study membrane proteins individually, or in pairs, to see how they interact with other molecules. The scientists use an electron microscope to take images of isolated NABBs and categorize the orientation of the receptors they contain as either antiparallel (top) or parallel (bottom). Credit: Rockefeller University

In biology, as in construction, it’s all about having tools that fit the job. Researchers at Rockefeller University have now created a tiny tool, more than 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, capable of encasing single membrane proteins from living cells. The new system, which resembles a nanoscale sushi roll, will allow investigators to individually stimulate these key proteins with specific molecules and signals in order to precisely define the biological reactions that result.


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