Melting proteins confined in nanodroplets with 10.6 $\mu$m light provides clues about early steps of denaturation

Abstract

Ubiquitin confined within nanodroplets was irradiated with a variable-power CO$_2$ laser. Mass spectrometry analysis shows evidence for a protein “melting”-like transition within droplets prior to solvent evaporation and ion formation. Ion mobility spectrometry reveals that structures associated with early steps of denaturation are trapped because of short droplet lifetimes.