Neutrons describe ectoine effects on water H-bonding and hydration around a soluble protein and a cell membrane.

ABSTRACT: Understanding adaptation to extreme environments remains a challenge of high biotechnological potential for fundamental molecular biology. The cytosol of many microorganisms, isolated from saline environments, reversibly accumulates molar concentrations of the osmolyte ectoine to counterbalance fluctuating external salt concentrations. Although they have been studied extensively by thermodynamic and spectroscopic methods, direct experimental structural data have, so far, been lacking on ectoine-water-protein interactions. In this paper, in vivo deuterium labeling, small angle neutron scattering, neutron membrane diffraction and inelastic scattering are combined with neutron liquids diffraction to characterize the extreme ectoine-containing solvent and its effects on purple membrane of H. s

SUBMITTER: Zaccai G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4985633 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature