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Analytical Chemistry

With Some Interacting Proteins, a kiss comes before a Hug

November 20, 2006 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 84, Issue 47

In work that helps elucidate how proteins recognize each other, researchers have found conclusive evidence that two interacting proteins about to form a complex first give each other a slightly off-target kiss, metaphorically speaking, before joining in their ultimate embrace. Marius Clore and coworkers at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases used a technique called paramagnetic relaxation enhancement to detect and visualize transient "pre-encounter complexes" that precede and facilitate formation of a stable complex between the N-terminal domain of enzyme I and the phosphocarrier protein HPr (Nature 2006, 444, 383). The pre-encounter complexes form as a result of long-range electrostatic attraction, and possibly also short-range van der Waals interactions, between the proteins. These pre-encounters put the proteins' binding sites in close proximity, making it easy for them to "find" each other later. The technique revealed similar pre-encounters between two other protein-protein complexes, suggesting that the interaction may reflect a general phenomenon.

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