In-cell NMR spectroscopy

The recent development of "in-cell NMR" techniques by two independent group s has demonstrated that NMR spectroscopy can be used to characterize the co nformation and dynamics of biological macromolecules inside living, cells. In this article, we describe different methods and discuss current and futu re applications as well as critical parameters of this new technique. We sh ow experimental results, compare them with traditional in vitro experiments , and demonstrate that differences between the in vitro and the in vivo sta te of a macromolecule exist and can be detected and characterized.