Researchers Capture Images of Open Channel That Moves Proteins Across Cell Membranes

By brownl ()

This video shows a bacterial ribosome docked onto the SecYEG protein translocation channel, then removes the ribosome as it zooms in to show the channel as a set of ribbons that represent alpha helices of the 3 different channel subunits. The SecY [...]channel is viewed from the plane of the membrane and changes from a closed to an open form and then the nascent (newly forming) protein (in green) from the ribosome, which is not shown in later stages of the video, is modeled within the central pore of the open channel in a looped configuration and additionally, there is a loop of the new protein lying on the top of the channel, before it enters the central pore.
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