Spring Action of Salt-Sensor Proteins (IMAGE)
Caption
Salt-sensor proteins in bacteria operate like molecular springs. Under low salt conditions salts in the environment, the proteins oscillate between "stretched" and "compressed" forms. The 3-D structure of the proteins are shown as blue-white and green ribbons where "N" denotes the front end (N-terminus) of the protein while "C" denotes the back end of the protein (C-terminus). A cartoon of stretched and compressed forms of springs are represented in green above the model of the salt-sensor proteins. Salts in the environment dampen these spring-like movements and favor the "compressed" form. This change in springiness is used by the bacteria to detect salts in their environments.
Credit
National University of Singapore
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