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Macromolecular crowding in biological systems: hydrodynamics and NMR methods
Author(s) -
Bernadó Pau,
de la Torre José García,
Pons Miquel
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of molecular recognition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.401
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1099-1352
pISSN - 0952-3499
DOI - 10.1002/jmr.694
Subject(s) - macromolecule , macromolecular crowding , rotational diffusion , diffusion , relaxation (psychology) , chemical physics , chemistry , macromolecular substances , molecule , thermodynamics , physics , organic chemistry , biochemistry , biology , neuroscience
Most biologically relevant environments involve highly concentrated macromolecular solutions and most biological processes involve macromolecules that diffuse and interact with other macromolecules. Macromolecular crowding is a general phenomenon that strongly affects the transport properties of macromolecules (rotational and translational diffusion) as well as the position of their equilibria. NMR methods can provide information on molecular interactions, as well as on translational and rotational diffusion. In fact, rotational diffusion, through its determinant role in NMR relaxation, places a practical limit on the systems that can be studied by NMR. While in dilute solutions of non‐aggregating macromolecules this limit is set by macromolecular size, in crowded solutions excluded volume effects can have a strong effect on the observed diffusion rates. Hydrodynamic theory offers some insight into the magnitude of crowding effects on NMR observable parameters. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.