Neal Lab
Multivariate Optical Spectroscopy of
Biomolecular Assemblies in Complex Fluids
Intrinsic protein fluorescence, especially peak position, is widely used to report on the conformation of proteins and their interactions with ligands. Emission from single tryptophan (Trp) proteins is intriguing since nearly all single Trp proteins exhibit complex decay behavior in response to neighboring residues. Multivariate analysis of multidimensional protein decays allows us to resolve the underlying components of the Trp spectra to track transient changes in protein structure, or protein lipid interactions. We have used this strategy to distinguish the emission properties of three single Trp proteins and compare the unfolding mechanisms of one. 
