Protein "Filmed" Unfolding for the First Time

“Snapshot” of the unfolding of CylR2 protein from Enterococcus faecalis. If the protein is cooled from 25°C to -16°C, it successively breaks down into its two identical subunits. The latter are initially stable, but at -16°C they form an instable, dynamic protein form, which plays a key role in folding. © Zweckstetter, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry & German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases ­­Proteins — tools of living cells — can’t do their job if they’re not in shape. Literally. And a new study is the first to image the various stages of a protein's undoing, which will lend valuable insight to treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Those are just two of the diseases caused by proteins that are misfolded — their amino acid chains are not arranged correctly, resulting in a misshapen three-dimensional structure. When misfolded, these proteins don’t work and, in the case of ...