Identifying the mobility of atoms in biological and chemical systems may help in deciphering the structure of the envelope that protects the genetic material of certain viruses, something that may, in the future, allow harming their reproduction
Viruses are built from a collection of biological molecules that include genetic material (DNA or RNA), wrapped in a protein coat that protects it. Viruses cannot reproduce on their own. For this they need a host cell (of humans / animals / plants / bacteria). In order to reproduce, the virus penetrates the host cell, incorporates the viral genetic material into it - and thus it, in fact, forces the cell to reproduce more and more viruses. In this process, the viruses can also cause disease.
Prof. Amir Goldbort from the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University and his team are developing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to study biological and chemical systems, such as viruses and protein molecules. In NMR tests, researchers examine the reaction of atoms to a magnetic field, which can teach about The structures of the chemical and biological systems at atomic resolution. That is, through them it is possible to know where each atom is located in the system and what is its chemical environment.
Prof. Goldbort and his team focus on researching bacteriophages - viruses that attack bacteria, the most common and most ancient in nature among the variety of viruses known to us today. The bacteriophages inject their genetic material into the bacteria, multiply inside them - and then break out, sometimes while destroying the bacterial cell.
If we understand the structure of bacteriophages, we may be able to help develop substances that will damage the protein envelope of many different types of viruses, or the process by which they carry out the infection
The bacteria that were attacked and not harmed by this continue to reproduce the genetic material that entered their cells and thus help to produce new viruses. Says Prof. Goldbort: "We study the structure of bacteriophages as part of a field called structural virology. We mainly focus on the way in which the protein envelope of viruses is built at the atomic level (where each atom is located), and how it holds the genetic material inside and protects it until it is released For infection. If we understand the structure of bacteriophages, we may be able to help develop substances that will harm In the protein shell of viruses of many different types, or in the process in which they carry out the infection, with the aim of multiplying."
The protein envelope of viruses is made up of thousands of atoms, and their constant movement affects its strength and its grip on the genetic material. Therefore, in their research - which won a research grant from the National Science Foundation, the researchers are interested in deciphering the average position of the atoms at different times and the mobility (dynamics) of each of them. The goal of their latest research was to discover the strength of the mobility of the atoms in as short a time as possible (to try to optimize dealings with viruses in the future). To this end, doctoral student Tom Aharoni developed software that analyzes data from experiments using the magnetic resonance method, within a few seconds. The researchers feed into it the data of the protein envelope of the virus and the NMR spectrum (a kind of topographical map with variable intensities). These data are obtained from carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen atoms, which are the amino acids that make up the envelope proteins. These atoms create resonance frequencies in a magnetic field. The software scans these frequencies and thus analyzes the structure of the atoms and maps the mobility of each of them are received in the output within a few seconds from the moment the data is entered. The researchers have already conducted experiments with the software - and discovered with it the strength of the mobility of the atoms that make up the protein envelopes of filamentous bacteriophages (which have the shape of a flexible fiber).
"It is a software that can be used to quickly discover the mobility of atoms in almost any protein system, as well as in biological and chemical systems," says Prof. Goldbort. "It is also very accessible: you can download it from our website and use it easily. This way we hope that it will be possible to decipher the structures of viruses and other disease agents."
Life itself:
Prof. Amir Goldbort, 51, married and father of two children (21, 18), lives in Rosh Ha'Ain. He is a fan of running, long walks in nature, and music ("from classical to country and rock").
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