Cellular structural biology.
While we appreciate the complexity of the intracellular environment as a general property of every living organism, we collectively lack the appropriate tools to analyze protein structures in a cellular context. In-cell NMR spectroscopy represents a novel biophysical tool to investigate the conformational and functional characteristics of biomolecules at the atomic level inside live cells. Here, we review recent in-cell NMR developments and provide an outlook towards future applications in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. We hope to thereby emphasize the usefulness of in-cell NMR techniques for cellular studies of complex biological processes and for structural analyses in native environments.
Ito
Yutaka
Y
Tokyo Metropolitan University, Department of Chemistry, Minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan.
Selenko
Philipp
P
D000818:Animals; D003585:Cell Biology; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011387:Prokaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism