Scientists of the University of Montreal (Canada) have created a glowing nanoantine to track the structural changes of the nanomas and enzymes. Development allows you to characterize the functions of important proteins and drugs that can be useful in the treatment of various diseases, including cancer. This is reported in an article published in the Nature Methods magazine.
Nanoantenna is a structure constructed from DNA molecules and a fluorescence capable of fluorescence, that is, emission of light radiation. In terms of its action, it resembles a device of a bilateral radio. It is able to absorb the radiation of one wavelength and emit the light of another wavelength, which can be observed directly. The wavelength of the absorbed light depends on the changes in the structure of the protein molecule to which the antenna is sensitive. Thus, watching fluorescence, scientists can determine the functions of proteins.
“Reception” part of the DNA antenna easily connects to certain parts of protein enzymes through intermolecular interaction. During the experiment, the researchers created a nanoantine five nanometer long, which is capable of generating a distinct light signal when the enzyme is activated. Thus, scientists traced the operation of alkaline phosphatase, which interacted with a plurality of biological molecules, including drugs.