How a Protein from Photosynthetic Bacteria Changes Shape (IMAGE)

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

How a Protein from Photosynthetic Bacteria Changes Shape

Caption

Bacteria changes shape in response to light in less than a trillionth of a second. Samples of the crystallized protein (right), called photoactive yellow protein, or PYP, were struck by an optical laser beam (blue light coming from left) that triggers shape changes in the protein. These were then probed with a powerful X-ray beam (fiery beam from bottom left) from SLAC's LCLS.

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SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

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