scholarly journals Macromolecular crystallography using neutrons

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 40-42
Author(s):  
Matthew Blakeley
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acids ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Biological Macromolecules ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Macromolecular Crystallography ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Vast Array ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Macromolecular Assemblies

When you think about macromolecular crystallography, the technique that most often comes to mind is X-ray diffraction and it's no wonder. Over 88000 structures of biological macromolecules – from proteins and nucleic acids to viruses and macromolecular assemblies – have been determined using X-rays, and these have contributed significantly to our understanding of a vast array of biological systems and processes.

scholarly journals Electronic Excitations and Radiation Damage in Macromolecular Crystallography

Crystals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Brandão-Neto ◽  
Leonardo Bernasconi
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Information ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Electronic Excitations ◽  
Macromolecular Crystallography ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Atomic Structures ◽  
Successful Approach ◽  
Structural Research

Macromolecular crystallography at cryogenic temperatures has so far provided the majority of the experimental evidence that underpins the determination of the atomic structures of proteins and other biomolecular assemblies by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. One of the core limitations of the current methods is that crystal samples degrade as they are subject to X-rays, and two broad groups of effects are observed: global and specific damage. While the currently successful approach is to operate outside the range where global damage is observed, specific damage is not well understood and may lead to poor interpretation of the chemistry and biology of the system under study. In this work, we present a phenomenological model in which specific damage is understood as the result of a single process, the steady excitation of crystal electrons caused by X-ray absorption, which acts as a trigger for the bulk effects that manifest themselves in the form of global damage and obscure the interpretation of chemical information from XFEL and synchrotron structural research.

scholarly journals Electronic Excitations and Radiation Damage in Macromolecular Crystallography

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Brandão-Neto ◽  
Leonardo Bernasconi
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Information ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Electronic Excitations ◽  
Macromolecular Crystallography ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Atomic Structures ◽  
Successful Approach ◽  
Structural Research

Macromolecular crystallography at cryogenic temperatures has so far provided the majority of the experimental evidence that underpins the determination of the atomic structures of proteins and other biomolecular assemblies by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. One of the core limitations of the current methods is that crystal samples degrade as they are subject to X-rays, and two broad groups of effects are observed: global and specific damage. While the currently successful approach is to operate outside the range where global damage is observed, specific damage is not well understood and may lead to poor interpretation of the chemistry and biology of the system under study. In this work, we present a phenomenological model in which specific damage is understood as the result of a single process, the steady excitation of crystal electrons caused by X-ray absorption, which acts as a trigger for the bulk effects that manifest themselves in the form of global damage and obscure the interpretation of chemical information from XFEL and synchrotron structural research.

scholarly journals New light on protein structure: Macromolecular crystallography

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Armin Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Light Source ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Considerable Change ◽  
Imperial College ◽  
Atomic Resolution ◽  
Biological Macromolecules ◽  
Macromolecular Crystallography ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Structure Solution

X-ray diffraction is the method of choice to determine structural information from biological mac romolecules to atomic resolution. This technique depends on the availability of single crystals of protein, which are notoriously difficult to produce. It can take months or even years to find crystal lization conditions capable of producing crystals with sufficient diffraction quality. During the last few years the field of MX (macromolecular crystallography) has undergone considerable change and most of the steps from protein expression to structure solution have been automated, speeding up the process significantly. Facilities such as Diamond Light Source, the new UK synchrotron radia tion source in Oxfordshire, have been developed to incorporate new automation technologies and Diamond will provide an important user resource for XRD (X-ray diffraction) experiments on crystals of biological macromolecules. Furthermore, in collaboration with Professor So Iwata (Imperial College and Diamond Light Source) and funded by the Wellcome Trust, Diamond Light Source is developing a laboratory dedicated specifically to solving the structure of membrane proteins, the crystallization of which poses a particular problem to the crystallographer.

X-ray diffraction properties of curved crystal diffractors

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1734-1735
Author(s):  
W. Z. Chang ◽  
D. B. Wittry
Keyword(s):  
Diffraction Theory ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Diffraction Image ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Rocking Curve ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Bent Crystal ◽  
Diffraction Geometry ◽  
Crystal Parameter ◽  
Quantitative Procedure

Since Du Mond and Kirkpatrick first discussed the principle of a bent crystal spectrograph in 1930, curved single crystals have been widely utilized as spectrometric monochromators as well as diffractors for focusing x rays diverging from a point. Curved crystal diffraction theory predicts that the diffraction parameters - the rocking curve width w, and the peak reflection coefficient r of curved crystals will certainly deviate from those of their flat form. Due to a lack of curved crystal parameter data in current literature and the need for optimizing the choice of diffraction geometry and crystal materials for various applications, we have continued the investigation of our technique presented at the last conference. In the present abstract, we describe a more rigorous and quantitative procedure for measuring the parameters of curved crystals.The diffraction image of a singly bent crystal under study can be obtained by using the Johann geometry with an x-ray point source.

Investigation of the phase shift in X-ray forward diffraction using an X-ray interferometer

1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 967-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiichi Hirano ◽  
Atsushi Momose
Keyword(s):  
Phase Shift ◽  
Silicon Crystal ◽  
Dynamical Theory ◽  
Perfect Crystal ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Bragg Geometry

The phase shift of forward-diffracted X-rays by a perfect crystal is discussed on the basis of the dynamical theory of X-ray diffraction. By means of a triple Laue-case X-ray interferometer, the phase shift of forward-diffracted X-rays by a silicon crystal in the Bragg geometry was investigated.

scholarly journals X-ray crystal structure of a malonate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase fromPseudomonassp. strain AAC

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Wilding ◽  
Colin Scott ◽  
Thomas S. Peat ◽  
Janet Newman
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Search Model ◽  
Molecular Replacement ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Acetyl Coa ◽  
Space Group ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase

The NAD-dependent malonate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase KES23460 fromPseudomonassp. strain AAC makes up half of a bicistronic operon responsible for β-alanine catabolism to produce acetyl-CoA. The KES23460 protein has been heterologously expressed, purified and used to generate crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. The crystals belonged to space groupP212121and diffracted X-rays to beyond 3 Å resolution using the microfocus beamline of the Australian Synchrotron. The structure was solved using molecular replacement, with a monomer from PDB entry 4zz7 as the search model.

Applications of High-Resolution Powder X-Ray Diffraction

2007 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew N. Fitch
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Synchrotron Radiation ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Crystalline Materials ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Structural Characterisation ◽  
Pdf Analysis

The highly-collimated, intense X-rays produced by a synchrotron radiation source can be harnessed to build high-resolution powder diffraction instruments with a wide variety of applications. The general advantages of using synchrotron radiation for powder diffraction are discussed and illustrated with reference to the structural characterisation of crystalline materials, atomic PDF analysis, in-situ and high-throughput studies where the structure is evolving between successive scans, and the measurement of residual strain in engineering components.

scholarly journals Synchrotron Nano-Diffraction Study of Thermally Treated Asbestos Tremolite from Val d’Ala, Turin (Italy)

Minerals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlotta Giacobbe ◽  
Jonathan Wright ◽  
Dario Di Giuseppe ◽  
Alessandro Zoboli ◽  
Mauro Zapparoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Heat Treatment ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Structure Analysis ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Nano Crystalline ◽  
Original Fibre

Nowadays, due to the adverse health effects associated with exposure to asbestos, its removal and thermal inertization has become one of the most promising ways for reducing waste risk management. Despite all the advances in structure analysis of fibers and characterization, some problems still remain that are very hard to solve. One challenge is the structure analysis of natural micro- and nano-crystalline samples, which do not form crystals large enough for single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD), and their analysis is often hampered by reflection overlap and the coexistence of multiple fibres linked together. In this paper, we have used nano-focused synchrotron X-rays to refine the crystal structure of a micrometric tremolite fibres from Val d’Ala, Turin (Italy) after various heat treatment. The structure of the original fibre and after heating to 800 °C show minor differences, while the fibre that was heated at 1000 °C is recrystallized into pyroxene phases and cristobalite.

An algorithm for calculating diffraction profiles of 2θ scans for multiple diffraction from crystals and thin films

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 572-582
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yi Chen ◽  
Mau-Sen Chiu ◽  
Chia-Hung Chu ◽  
Shih-Lin Chang
Keyword(s):  
Initial Phase ◽  
Atomic Layer ◽  
Dynamical Theory ◽  
Far Field ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Multiple Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Beam Surface ◽  
Surface Diffraction

An algorithm is developed based on the dynamical theory of X-ray diffraction for calculating the profiles of the diffracted beam,i.e.the diagrams of the intensity distributionversus2θ when a crystal is fixed at an angle of its maximum diffracted intensity. Similar to Fraunhofer (far-field) diffraction for a single-slit case, in the proposed algorithm the diffracted beam from one atomic layer excited by X-rays is described by the composition of (N+ 1) coherent point oscillators in the crystal. The amplitude and the initial phase of the electric field for each oscillator can be calculated based on the dynamical theory with given boundary conditions. This algorithm not only gives diffraction profiles but also provides the contribution of the excitation of modes when extremely asymmetric diffraction is involved in the diffraction process. Examples such as extremely asymmetric two-beam surface diffraction and three-beam surface diffraction are presented and discussed in detail.

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