Macromolecular crowding in biological systems: hydrodynamics and NMR methods.
Most biologically relevant environments involve highly concentrated macromolecular solutions and most biological processes involve macromolecules that diffuse and interact with other macromolecules. Macromolecular crowding is a general phenomenon that strongly affects the transport properties of macromolecules (rotational and translational diffusion) as well as the position of their equilibria. NMR methods can provide information on molecular interactions, as well as on translational and rotational diffusion. In fact, rotational diffusion, through its determinant role in NMR relaxation, places a practical limit on the systems that can be studied by NMR. While in dilute solutions of non-aggregating macromolecules this limit is set by macromolecular size, in crowded solutions excluded volume effects can have a strong effect on the observed diffusion rates. Hydrodynamic theory offers some insight into the magnitude of crowding effects on NMR observable parameters.
Bernadó
Pau
P
Departament de Química Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11 and Laboratory of Biomolecular NMR, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Josep Samitier 1-5, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
García de la Torre
José
J
Pons
Miquel
M
D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / Q000379:methods*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012996:Solutions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011506:Proteins; D012996:Solutions; D004247:DNA