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Time-resolved structural studies with serial crystallography: A new light on retinal proteins
Structural information of the different conformational states of the two prototypical light-sensitive membrane proteins, bacteriorhodopsin and rhodopsin, has been obtained in the past by X-ray cryo-crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. However, these methods do not allow for the structure de...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
American Crystallographic Association
2015
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711639/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26798817 http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4922774 |
Sumario: | Structural information of the different conformational states of the two prototypical light-sensitive membrane proteins, bacteriorhodopsin and rhodopsin, has been obtained in the past by X-ray cryo-crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. However, these methods do not allow for the structure determination of most intermediate conformations. Recently, the potential of X-Ray Free Electron Lasers (X-FELs) for tracking the dynamics of light-triggered processes by pump-probe serial femtosecond crystallography has been demonstrated using 3D-micron-sized crystals. In addition, X-FELs provide new opportunities for protein 2D-crystal diffraction, which would allow to observe the course of conformational changes of membrane proteins in a close-to-physiological lipid bilayer environment. Here, we describe the strategies towards structural dynamic studies of retinal proteins at room temperature, using injector or fixed-target based serial femtosecond crystallography at X-FELs. Thanks to recent progress especially in sample delivery methods, serial crystallography is now also feasible at synchrotron X-ray sources, thus expanding the possibilities for time-resolved structure determination. |
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