By james art 
-With images-
Researchers at the University of Durham have made great progress in understanding how proteins connect metals inside the cells, a life -deciding process.
The study, published in Nature Communications, introduces a pioneer approach that allows scientists to predict and design protein metal, discovery with long -term consequences for biotechnology and sustainable bio -production.
The study is based on years of work by the research team dating from key discoveries published in 2008.
In the latest study, scientists used a unique protein, originally found in cyanobacteria, which naturally captures manganese.
This protein has provided an innovative way of testing predictions about how proteins acquire metals in cells.
The findings confirm that protein metalling is not automatically when the protein is introduced into different cells. Instead, the presence of metals in the cell plays a decisive role and discrepancies can lead to incorrect connection of metal.
For the first time, the team showed that it is possible to predict and refine which metals bind to proteins using a specially designed metal calculator.
This tool allows scientists to predict the interaction between metal protein based on intracellular levels of metals.
The study demonstrated how cyanobacterial manganese-binding protein, when introduced into E. coli, is wrongly associated with iron instead of manganese.
This finding emphasizes the importance of a finely adjustable metal availability in engineering biological systems.
The study also presents practical applications, offering drawings and calculators to help researchers predict the results of the metal without having to do years of background research.
The lead author of the study Dr. Sophie Clow of the University of Durham said: “This document has been built in decades of work, including joint efforts of a huge number of scientists.
“Now that we have finally tested and established the models, we hope that the drawings and calculators for metals will be widely used.”
These tools facilitate the engineering of metal processes in a wide range of biological reactions – evaluated to include up to half of all enzyme functions.
The co -author of the study professor Nigel Robinson of the University of Durham said: “Half reactions to life are guided by metals inside the cells.
“Drawings and calculators allow researchers and businesses to design these reactions for pure production.”
The study received funding from the United Kingdom and the Innovation of the UK (UKRI) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which have supported the team’s work for more than four decades.
The research team is eager to share its discoveries with a broader audience, especially those in the field of bioengineering, where these insights can be applied to improve industrial applications, including pharmaceutical development, environmental biotechnology and biofuel production.
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