Which of These Can Be Used to Determine Protein Structure

Question

Which of these can be used to determine protein structure?
A)amino acid sequencing
B)X-ray crystallography and NMR
C)polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE)
D)denaturing gel electrophoresis
E)mass spectrometry

Accepted Answer

X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are two commonly used techniques to determine the 3D structure of proteins. X-ray crystallography involves the use of X-ray diffraction patterns to create a detailed map of the protein's structure, while NMR uses magnetic fields to study the protein's atomic structure in solution. Amino acid sequencing, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), denaturing gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry can be used to study aspects of protein structure but are not as effective as X-ray crystallography and NMR in determining a protein's 3D structure.