Sometimes a great motion: the application of transient electric birefringence to the study of macromolecular structure.
First described in the late 1800s, the phenomenon of electric birefringence is becoming increasingly useful as a probe of the solution conformations of proteins and nucleic acids. The birefringence response to a transient electric field is a sensitive indicator of the rotational motions (and hence the physical dimensions) of macromolecules in solution. Recent advances, both in instrumentation and in the efficient production of high-quality biopolymers, have dramatically increased the sensitivity and range of applicability of the method.
Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Genetics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA. paul.hagerman@uchsc.edu
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D000818:Animals; D004560:Electricity; D006801:Humans; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011506:Proteins