Developing and applying a new method to study biomolecular dynamics

What is it about?

Dynamic processes involving biomolecules are essential for the function of the cell. We have developed a method for computing integrative models of these processes based on a variety of sources of information, including experimental data, physical theories, and other prior models. To demonstrate the method, we applied it to study the formation mechanism of one of the largest known protein complexes in the cell, the Nuclear Pore Complex.

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Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash

Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While great advances have been made to study static structures of biomolecules, describing the dynamics of biomolecules remains difficult, particularly for large systems over long periods of time. Our method addresses this challenge by connecting static structural models to describe a complete process. This approach could be applied to model a variety of biomolecular processes, as illustrated by modeling the assembly of the Nuclear Pore Complex.