> biologie > protein-folding > the-physics-of-life-how-water-folds-proteins-q-a

Q&A - The Physics of Life: How Water Folds Proteins - with Sylvia McLain

The Royal Institution - 2017-08-30

Can we predict protein folding? How do you trap proteins? Sylvia McLain answers questions from the audience.
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Sylvia McLain is a Research Lecturer in the University of Oxford's Department of Biochemistry. She investigates the role of water in protein folding and life.

This Discourse was filmed in the Ri on Friday 25 February 2017.

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Teancum Kuzmich - 2017-08-30

defininently going 2 sub and watch more vids

felpshehe - 2018-11-22

About the answer to the last question: thank you

Tim Kuefer - 2019-05-04

I love Proteinbiochemistry!

Teancum Kuzmich - 2017-08-30

awsome

oldcowbb - 2017-10-08

isn't evaporation entropy driven?

Ron Maimon - 2018-04-03

the free energy is entropy times temperature, but the enthalpy part is temperature independent, so temperature dependence can discriminate entropic forces. I wonder if they run the experiments at different Ts.

Arnold Layne - 2017-08-30

So would a strand of DNA (a protein as far as I know) unravel or unfold (for want of a better word) if it were somehow perfectly dehydrated and if so could this have any useful applications for DNA research etc?

farvision - 2017-09-01

DNA is not protein. google for each of them. They are very different molecules.

Arnold Layne - 2017-09-01

ok thanks farvision I wasn't too sure

N Marbletoe - 2017-09-03

I think they may do this in order to crystalize DNA for x-ray crystallography.  Chemists often dehydrate something in order to precipitate and crystallize it, but i don't know specifically for DNA.  (farvision is right it's not a protein, though it can be crystallized like many things if they can be purified).

MG1 - 2017-08-31

Very enjoyable. Great to hear and see another real scientist, not con artist. Sylvia McLain, well done, you are familiar with your subject. and refreshingly honest. thank you.
RI, get somebody to clean those lenses. it is high definition now, not smoked filled hall. MG1

Nand Fednu - 2017-09-05

nope, you're right on; the water orients because probability, it is your entropy rule, the orientation of water that creates nucleation is statistically stronger than other formations (as result of water-hydrogen interactions) and has an entropy gain once folding begins, the middle formation is the necessary intermediate (to benefit from basically random alignments) in a two stage reaction. Picture it like the hydrophobic regions use the amino groups as powered joints? Imo IANAD.