Phonons are quasi-particles,observed as lattice vibrations in periodic materials,that often dampen in the presence of structural perturbations.Nevertheless,phonon-like collective excitations exist in highly complex sy...Phonons are quasi-particles,observed as lattice vibrations in periodic materials,that often dampen in the presence of structural perturbations.Nevertheless,phonon-like collective excitations exist in highly complex systems,such as proteins,although the origin of such collective motions has remained elusive.Here we present a picture of temperature and hydration dependence of collective excitations in green fluorescent protein(GFP)obtained by inelastic neutron scattering.Our results provide evidence that such excitations can be used as a measure of flexibility/softness and are possibly associated with the protein’s activity.Moreover,we show that the hydration water in GFP interferes with the phonon propagation pathway,enhancing the structural rigidity and stability of GFP.展开更多
基金supported by NSF No.1616008the Department of Energy(DoE),Office of Basic Energy Sciences,and Wayne State University.X.C was supported by NSAF No.U1930403National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)11875051.Neutron scattering measurements at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source were supported by the Scientific User Facilities Division,Office of Basic Energy Sciences,DoE.
文摘Phonons are quasi-particles,observed as lattice vibrations in periodic materials,that often dampen in the presence of structural perturbations.Nevertheless,phonon-like collective excitations exist in highly complex systems,such as proteins,although the origin of such collective motions has remained elusive.Here we present a picture of temperature and hydration dependence of collective excitations in green fluorescent protein(GFP)obtained by inelastic neutron scattering.Our results provide evidence that such excitations can be used as a measure of flexibility/softness and are possibly associated with the protein’s activity.Moreover,we show that the hydration water in GFP interferes with the phonon propagation pathway,enhancing the structural rigidity and stability of GFP.
