Title
Down to atomic-scale intracellular water dynamics
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
Fall 5-2-2008
Abstract
Water constitutes the intracellular matrix in which biological molecules interact. Understanding its dynamic state is a main scientific challenge, which continues to provoke controversy after more than 50 years of study. We measured water dynamics in vivo in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli by using neutron scattering and isotope labelling. Experimental timescales covered motions from pure water to interfacial water, on an atomic length scale. In contrast to the widespread opinion that water is ‘tamed’ by macromolecular confinement, the measurements established that water diffusion within the bacteria is similar to that of pure water at physiological temperature.
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Publication Details
This article originally published as Jasnin, M, Moulin, M, Haertlein, M, Zaccai, G, Tehei, M, Down to atomic scale intracellular water dynamics, EMBO Reports, 9(6), June 2008, 543-7. Copyright Nature Publishing Group 2008. Original article available here