Now Researchers Can See How Unfolded Proteins Move In The Cell, University of Illinois Reveals

When a large protein unfolds in transit through a cell, it slows down and can get stuck in traffic. Using a specialized microscope -- a sort of cellular traffic camera -- University of Illinois chemists now can watch the way the unfolded protein diffuses.

Studying the relationship between protein folding and transport could provide great insight into protein-misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. Chemistry professor Martin Gruebele and graduate students Minghao Guo and Hannah Gelman published their findings in the journal PLOS ONE ("Coupled Protein Diffusion and Folding in the Cell").

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