What measurements are most important for
studying how proteins interact? The answer
depends on your research needs. There
is debate about which is more important:
measuring how fast and specific the interaction
is between two biomolecules (binding
kinetics), or the strength between them
(binding affinity). Real-time measurements
like surface plasmon resonance (SPR) provide
binding affinity and kinetics, but does that
mean researchers always need it? Delving into
the differences in protein measurement types
and current instrument technologies can help
you determine which one will best serve your
research purposes.
A common biophysical measurement
examines whether or not two molecules
interact with each other, such as a ligand with
its receptor. Just knowing if they do interact,
however, does not provide information about
the nature of the interaction, such as the
strength of interaction and its implication
on biological function. It's more helpful to
have a quantitative answer for that binding
interaction.