Physics (Internal)

Direct Correlation of Protein Structure and Function By High-pressure X-ray Crystallography

This event is part of the Biophysics/Condensed Matter Seminar Series.

Abstract: Protein molecules are intricate systems whose functions are highly sensitive to external perturbations. However, few examples that directly correlate protein function with continuous, progressive sub-angstrom structural perturbations have been presented. In this talk, I will discuss how we used high-pressure X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy to link sub-angstrom changes in the structure of the Aequorea yellow fluorescent protein Citrine to a fluorescence peak shift from yellow to green. I will also discuss how subtle changes in the scaffold of the protein under pressure suggest ways to precisely tune the active sites of enzymes at the sub-angstrom level.