title: Conformational Memory of a Protein Revealed by Single-Molecule Spectroscopy.
abstract: Proteins are supramolecular machines that carry out a wide range of different functions, many of which require flexibility. Up until now spontaneous conformational fluctuations of proteins have always been assumed to reflect a stochastic random process. However, if changing between different conformational states was random, then it would be difficult to understand how conformational control of protein function could have evolved. Here we demonstrate that a single protein can show conformational memory. This is exactly the process that can facilitate the evolution of control of switching between two conformational states that can then be used to regulate protein function.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics IV and Bayreuth Institute for Macromolecular Research (BIMF), University of Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schörner
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics IV and Bayreuth Institute for Macromolecular Research (BIMF), University of Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian Reinhardt
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow , Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Southall
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow , Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cogdell
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics IV and Bayreuth Institute for Macromolecular Research (BIMF), University of Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Köhler
mesh_terms: D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012241:Rhodopseudomonas / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes