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ERIC Number: EJ1442095
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Aug
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Available Date: N/A
Using Magnets and Flexible 3D-Printed Structures to Illustrate Protein (Un)folding
Ionel Popa; Florin Saitis
Journal of Chemical Education, v99 n8 p3074-3082 2022
Proteins are "magical" workers inside our body, as they accomplish most of the cellular functions. Here we report on a novel approach to teach protein folding and unfolding, using magnets and flexible 3D-printed protein structures. To illustrate this physical process, we used colored circular magnets designed for whiteboards, connected through paper clips. Several protein structures were then 3D-printed, using both standard and flexible materials. Protein unfolding under force was then investigated by adding slotted weights to a setup consisting of three experiments: a simple spring, a spring in series with a sealed syringe (representing a dashpot), and a spring in series with a printed protein structure. All of the experiments shown here were done as part of the event, organized by the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. The approach presented here complements the use of other techniques to learn about protein folding and constitutes a novel way to explain how mechanical unfolding "in vivo" relates to a gain-of-function.
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Wisconsin
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A