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Sunday, 14 June 2015

A Bioreactor for In-Cell Protein NMR

The inside of the cell is a complex environment that is difficult to simulate when studying proteins and other molecules in vitro. Featured on the cover of the Journal of Magnetic Resonance, researchers in the Pielak Group have developed a device and system that provides a controlled environment for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments involving living cells. Their device comprises two main parts, an NMR detection region and a circulation system.
Research Image
The flow of medium from the bottom of the device pushes alginate encapsulated cells into the circulation chamber. In the chamber, the exchange of oxygen and nutrients occurs between the media and the encapsulated cells. When the media flow is stopped, the encapsulated cells fall back into the NMR detection region, and spectra can be acquired. The Pielak Group has utilized the bioreactor to study the expression of the natively disordered protein α-synuclein, inside Escherichia coli cells.

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