York: A University of York scientist has supplied a
key theoretical framework that has helped colleagues in Japan to provide
new insights into a force that makes proteins fold. Dr Seishi Shimizu used chemical thermodynamics as a
theoretical basis for the analysis of experimental data to reveal that
salt bridges are strengthened significantly near hydrophobic surfaces.
A team from the University of Tokyo studied the strength of salt
bridges using cutting edge nanotechnology. Dr Shimizu’s theory helped
them estimate the strengthening of ion bridges, which turned out to be
worth more than one and a half additional hydrogen bonding. The
research was published in
Science. Scientists have long considered salt bridges a stabilising force in
protein structures What happens to them at a protein’s surface in
contrast to them in isolation, however, has been the subject of
scientific speculation for decades.
Dr Shimizu said: “We have used nanotechnology to enhance our
fundamental understanding of how proteins fold. This has the potential
to help scientists in biotechnology and drug design.”