Purdue researchers obtain a snapshot clarifying how materials e...(chemical data to learn what we needed to...)

While structural biologists attempt to obtain images of a protein as it performs a process, biochemists use indirect methods to understand the nature of a protein and how it moves through different conformations.

"Collaboration allows us to marry visual structures to other techniques that let you see the motions," Davidson said. "It all came together beautifully and matched the model we proposed in 2001 of what things should look like during this process. Through genetic and biochemical work we determined which proteins were important to this process, but we didn't know exactly how they worked. The image of the structure answers these questions and clearly shows the specific interactions."

Next, the team will work to determine the structure of another conformation of the protein that explains the other half of the process: how material is delivered into the cell.

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