Opposites Attract
Researchers from the University of Zurich got a close encounter of the spectroscopic kind when they looked at the interaction between protein histone H1 and its binding partner, prothymosin α. Using single-molecule fluorescence and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the team discovered that there is a strong electrostatic attraction between the two proteins, and that they have extended unstructured protein chains – a finding that could have implications for future drug development.
Credit: Christoph Schumacher, dunkelweiss
Reference: A Borgia et al., “Extreme disorder in an ultrahigh-affinity protein complex”, Nature, 555, 61–66 (2018).
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A former library manager and storyteller, I have wanted to write for magazines since I was six years old, when I used to make my own out of foolscap paper and sellotape and distribute them to my family. Since getting my MSc in Publishing, I’ve worked as a freelance writer and content creator for both digital and print, writing on subjects such as fashion, food, tourism, photography – and the history of Roman toilets. Now I can be found working on The Analytical Scientist, finding the ‘human angle’ to cutting-edge science stories.
