Glass transition in thaumatin crystals revealed through temperature-dependent radiation-sensitivity measurements

Radiation damage to biological macromolecules∗

In this review, we describe recent research developments into radiation damage effects in macromolecular X-ray crystallography observed at synchrotrons and X-ray free electron lasers. Radiation damage in small molecule X-ray crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering experiments, microelectron diffraction, and single particle cryo-electron microscopy is briefly covered.

Facing the phase problem

The marvel of X-ray crystallography is the beauty and precision of the atomic structures deduced from diffraction patterns. Since these patterns record only amplitudes, phases for the diffracted waves must also be evaluated for systematic structure determination. Thus, we have the phase problem as a central complication, both intellectually for the field and practically so for many analyses. Here, I discuss how we - myself, my laboratory and the diffraction community - have faced the phase problem, considering the evolution of methods for phase evaluation as structural biology developed to the present day. During the explosive growth of macromolecular crystallography, practice in diffraction analysis evolved from a universal reliance on isomorphous replacement to the eventual domination of anomalous diffraction for de novo structure determination. As the Protein Data Bank (PDB) grew and familial relationships among proteins became clear, molecular replacement overtook all other phasing methods; however, experimental phasing remained essential for molecules without obvious precedents, with multi- and single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD and SAD) predominating. While the mathematics-based direct methods had proved to be inadequate for typical macromolecules, they returned to crack substantial selenium substructures in SAD analyses of selenomethionyl proteins. Native SAD, exploiting the intrinsic S and P atoms of biomolecules, has become routine. Selenomethionyl SAD and MAD were the mainstays of structural genomics efforts to populate the PDB with novel proteins. A recent dividend has been paid in the success of PDB-trained artificial intelligence approaches for protein structure prediction. Currently, molecular replacement with AlphaFold models often obviates the need for experimental phase evaluation. For multiple reasons, we are now unfazed by the phase problem. Cryo-EM analysis is an attractive alternative to crystallography for many applications faced by today's structural biologists. It simply finesses the phase problem; however, the principles and procedures of diffraction analysis remain pertinent and are adopted in single-particle cryo-EM studies of biomolecules.

Refinement of multiconformer ensemble models from multi-temperature X-ray diffraction data

Conformational ensembles underlie all protein functions. Thus, acquiring atomic-level ensemble models that accurately represent conformational heterogeneity is vital to deepen our understanding of how proteins work. Modeling ensemble information from X-ray diffraction data has been challenging, as traditional cryo-crystallography restricts conformational variability while minimizing radiation damage. Recent advances have enabled the collection of high quality diffraction data at ambient temperatures, revealing innate conformational heterogeneity and temperature-driven changes. Here, we used diffraction datasets for Proteinase K collected at temperatures ranging from 313 to 363 K to provide a tutorial for the refinement of multiconformer ensemble models. Integrating automated sampling and refinement tools with manual adjustments, we obtained multiconformer models that describe alternative backbone and sidechain conformations, their relative occupancies, and interconnections between conformers. Our models revealed extensive and diverse conformational changes across temperature, including increased bound peptide ligand occupancies, different Ca2+ binding site configurations and altered rotameric distributions. These insights emphasize the value and need for multiconformer model refinement to extract ensemble information from diffraction data and to understand ensemble-function relationships.

Refinement of Multiconformer Ensemble Models from Multi-temperature X-ray Diffraction Data

Conformational ensembles underlie all protein functions. Thus, acquiring atomic-level ensemble models that accurately represent conformational heterogeneity is vital to deepen our understanding of how proteins work. Modeling ensemble information from X-ray diffraction data has been challenging, as traditional cryo-crystallography restricts conformational variability while minimizing radiation damage. Recent advances have enabled the collection of high quality diffraction data at ambient temperatures, revealing innate conformational heterogeneity and temperature-driven changes. Here, we used diffraction datasets for Proteinase K collected at temperatures ranging from 313 to 363K to provide a tutorial for the refinement of multiconformer ensemble models. Integrating automated sampling and refinement tools with manual adjustments, we obtained multiconformer models that describe alternative backbone and sidechain conformations, their relative occupancies, and interconnections between conformers. Our models revealed extensive and diverse conformational changes across temperature, including increased bound peptide ligand occupancies, different Ca2+ binding site configurations and altered rotameric distributions. These insights emphasize the value and need for multiconformer model refinement to extract ensemble information from diffraction data and to understand ensemble-function relationships.

Polymer-based microfluidic device for on-chip counter-diffusive crystallization and in situ X-ray crystallography at room temperature

Proteins are long chains of amino acid residues that perform a myriad of functions in living organisms, including enzymatic reactions, signalling, and maintaining structural integrity. Protein function is determined directly by the protein structure. X-ray crystallography is the primary technique for determining the 3D structure of proteins, and facilitates understanding the effects of protein structure on function. The first step towards structure determination is crystallizing the protein of interest. We have developed a centrifugally-actuated microfluidic device that incorporates the fluid handling and metering necessary for protein crystallization. Liquid handling takes advantage of surface forces to control fluid flow and enable metering, without the need for any fluidic or pump connections. Our approach requires only the simple steps of pipetting the crystallization reagents into the device followed by either spinning or shaking to set up counter-diffusive protein crystallization trials. The use of thin, UV-curable polymers with a high level of X-ray transparency allows for in situ X-ray crystallography, eliminating the manual handling of fragile protein crystals and streamlining the process of protein structure analysis. We demonstrate the utility of our device using hen egg white lysozyme as a model system, followed by the crystallization and in situ, room temperature structural analysis of the hub domain of calcium-calmodulin dependent kinase II (CaMKIIβ).

Obtaining anomalous and ensemble information from protein crystals from 220 K up to physiological temperatures

X-ray crystallography has been invaluable in delivering structural information about proteins. Previously, an approach has been developed that allows high-quality X-ray diffraction data to be obtained from protein crystals at and above room temperature. Here, this previous work is built on and extended by showing that high-quality anomalous signal can be obtained from single protein crystals using diffraction data collected at 220 K up to physiological temperatures. The anomalous signal can be used to directly determine the structure of a protein, i.e. to phase the data, as is routinely performed under cryoconditions. This ability is demonstrated by obtaining diffraction data from model lysozyme, thaumatin and proteinase K crystals, the anomalous signal from which allowed their structures to be solved experimentally at 7.1 keV X-ray energy and at room temperature with relatively low data redundancy. It is also demonstrated that the anomalous signal from diffraction data obtained at 310 K (37°C) can be used to solve the structure of proteinase K and to identify ordered ions. The method provides useful anomalous signal at temperatures down to 220 K, resulting in an extended crystal lifetime and increased data redundancy. Finally, we show that useful anomalous signal can be obtained at room temperature using X-rays of 12 keV energy as typically used for routine data collection, allowing this type of experiment to be carried out at widely accessible synchrotron beamline energies and enabling the simultaneous extraction of high-resolution data and anomalous signal. With the recent emphasis on obtaining conformational ensemble information for proteins, the high resolution of the data allows such ensembles to be built, while the anomalous signal allows the structure to be experimentally solved, ions to be identified, and water molecules and ions to be differentiated. Because bound metal-, phosphorus- and sulfur-containing ions all have anomalous signal, obtaining anomalous signal across temperatures and up to physiological temperatures will provide a more complete description of protein conformational ensembles, function and energetics.

Determining biomolecular structures near room temperature using X-ray crystallography: concepts, methods and future optimization

For roughly two decades, cryocrystallography has been the overwhelmingly dominant method for determining high-resolution biomolecular structures. Competition from single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and micro-electron diffraction, increased interest in functionally relevant information that may be missing or corrupted in structures determined at cryogenic temperature, and interest in time-resolved studies of the biomolecular response to chemical and optical stimuli have driven renewed interest in data collection at room temperature and, more generally, at temperatures from the protein-solvent glass transition near 200 K to ∼350 K. Fischer has recently reviewed practical methods for room-temperature data collection and analysis [Fischer (2021), Q. Rev. Biophys. 54, e1]. Here, the key advantages and physical principles of, and methods for, crystallographic data collection at noncryogenic temperatures and some factors relevant to interpreting the resulting data are discussed. For room-temperature data collection to realize its potential within the structural biology toolkit, streamlined and standardized methods for delivering crystals prepared in the home laboratory to the synchrotron and for automated handling and data collection, similar to those for cryocrystallography, should be implemented.

Evaluating the impact of X-ray damage on conformational heterogeneity in room-temperature (277 K) and cryo-cooled protein crystals

Cryo-cooling has been nearly universally adopted to mitigate X-ray damage and facilitate crystal handling in protein X-ray crystallography. However, cryo X-ray crystallographic data provide an incomplete window into the ensemble of conformations that is at the heart of protein function and energetics. Room-temperature (RT) X-ray crystallography provides accurate ensemble information, and recent developments allow conformational heterogeneity (the experimental manifestation of ensembles) to be extracted from single-crystal data. Nevertheless, high sensitivity to X-ray damage at RT raises concerns about data reliability. To systematically address this critical issue, increasingly X-ray-damaged high-resolution data sets (1.02–1.52 Å resolution) were obtained from single proteinase K, thaumatin and lysozyme crystals at RT (277 K). In each case a modest increase in conformational heterogeneity with X-ray damage was observed. Merging data with different extents of damage (as is typically carried out) had negligible effects on conformational heterogeneity until the overall diffraction intensity decayed to ∼70% of its initial value. These effects were compared with X-ray damage effects in cryo-cooled crystals by carrying out an analogous analysis of increasingly damaged proteinase K cryo data sets (0.9–1.16 Å resolution). X-ray damage-associated heterogeneity changes were found that were not observed at RT. This property renders it difficult to distinguish real from artefactual conformations and to determine the conformational response to changes in temperature. The ability to acquire reliable heterogeneity information from single crystals at RT, together with recent advances in RT data collection at accessible synchrotron beamlines, provides a strong motivation for the widespread adoption of RT X-ray crystallography to obtain conformational ensemble information.

Determination of the through-plane profile of vanadium species in hydrated Nafion studied with micro X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy - proof of concept

Vanadium-ion transport through the polymer membrane results in a significant decrease in the capacity of vanadium redox flow batteries. It is assumed that five vanadium species are involved in this process. Micro X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (micro-XANES) is a potent method to study chemical reactions during vanadium transport inside the membrane. In this work, protocols for micro-XANES measurements were developed to enable through-plane characterization of the vanadium species in Nafion 117 on beamline P06 of the PETRA III synchrotron radiation facility (DESY, Hamburg, Germany). A Kapton tube diffusion cell with a diameter of 3 mm was constructed. The tube diameter was chosen in order to accommodate laminar flow for cryogenic cooling while allowing easy handling of the cell components by hand. A vertical step size of 2.5 µm and a horizontal step size of 5 µm provided sufficient resolution to resolve the profile and good statistics after summing up horizontal rows of scan points. The beam was confined in the horizontal plane to account for the waviness of the membrane. The diffusion of vanadium ions during measurement was inhibited by the cryogenic cooling. Vanadium oxidation, e.g. by water radiolysis (water percentage in the hydrated membrane ∼23 wt%), was mitigated by the cryogenic cooling and by minimizing the dwell time per pixel to 5 ms. Thus, the photo-induced oxidation of V3+ in the focused beam could be limited to 10%. In diffusion experiments, Nafion inside the diffusion cell was exposed on one side to V3+ electrolyte and on the other side to VO2+. The ions were allowed to diffuse across the through-plane orientation of the membrane during one of two short defrost times (200 s and 600 s). Subsequent micro-XANES measurements showed the formation of VO2+ from V3+ and VO2+ inside the water body of Nafion. This result proves the suitability of the experimental setup as a powerful tool for the determination of the profile of vanadium species in Nafion and other ionomeric membranes.

Macromolecular room temperature crystallography

X-ray crystallography enables detailed structural studies of proteins to understand and modulate their function. Conducting crystallographic experiments at cryogenic temperatures has practical benefits but potentially limits the identification of functionally important alternative protein conformations that can be revealed only at room temperature (RT). This review discusses practical aspects of preparing, acquiring, and analyzing X-ray crystallography data at RT to demystify preconceived impracticalities that freeze progress of routine RT data collection at synchrotron sources. Examples are presented as conceptual and experimental templates to enable the design of RT-inspired studies; they illustrate the diversity and utility of gaining novel insights into protein conformational landscapes. An integrative view of protein conformational dynamics enables opportunities to advance basic and biomedical research.

Analysis of complex, beam-sensitive materials by transmission electron microscopy and associated techniques

We review the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and associated techniques for the analysis of beam-sensitive materials and complex, multiphase systems in-situ or close to their native state. We focus on materials prone to damage by radiolysis and explain that this process cannot be eliminated or switched off, requiring TEM analysis to be done within a dose budget to achieve an optimum dose-limited resolution. We highlight the importance of determining the damage sensitivity of a particular system in terms of characteristic changes that occur on irradiation under both an electron fluence and flux by presenting results from a series of molecular crystals. We discuss the choice of electron beam accelerating voltage and detectors for optimizing resolution and outline the different strategies employed for low-dose microscopy in relation to the damage processes in operation. In particular, we discuss the use of scanning TEM (STEM) techniques for maximizing information content from high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy of minerals and molecular crystals. We suggest how this understanding can then be carried forward for in-situ analysis of samples interacting with liquids and gases, provided any electron beam-induced alteration of a specimen is controlled or used to drive a chosen reaction. Finally, we demonstrate that cryo-TEM of nanoparticle samples snap-frozen in vitreous ice can play a significant role in benchmarking dynamic processes at higher resolution. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Dynamic in situ microscopy relating structure and function'.

Instrumentation and experimental procedures for robust collection of X-ray diffraction data from protein crystals across physiological temperatures

Traditional X-ray diffraction data collected at cryo-temperatures have delivered invaluable insights into the three-dimensional structures of proteins, providing the backbone of structure-function studies. While cryo-cooling mitigates radiation damage, cryo-temperatures can alter protein conformational ensembles and solvent structure. Furthermore, conformational ensembles underlie protein function and energetics, and recent advances in room-temperature X-ray crystallography have delivered conformational heterogeneity information that can be directly related to biological function. Given this capability, the next challenge is to develop a robust and broadly applicable method to collect single-crystal X-ray diffraction data at and above room temperature. This challenge is addressed herein. The approach described provides complete diffraction data sets with total collection times as short as ∼5 s from single protein crystals, dramatically increasing the quantity of data that can be collected within allocated synchrotron beam time. Its applicability was demonstrated by collecting 1.09-1.54 Å resolution data over a temperature range of 293-363 K for proteinase K, thaumatin and lysozyme crystals at BL14-1 at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. The analyses presented here indicate that the diffraction data are of high quality and do not suffer from excessive dehydration or radiation damage.

Opportunities and challenges in neutron crystallography

Neutron and X-ray crystallography are complementary to each other. While X-ray scattering is directly proportional to the number of electrons of an atom, neutrons interact with the atomic nuclei themselves. Neutron crystallography therefore provides an excellent alternative in determining the positions of hydrogens in a biological molecule. In particular, since highly polarized hydrogen atoms (H+) do not have electrons, they cannot be observed by X-rays. Neutron crystallography has its own limitations, mainly due to inherent low flux of neutrons sources, and as a consequence, the need for much larger crystals and for different data collection and analysis strategies. These technical challenges can however be overcome to yield crucial structural insights about protonation states in enzyme catalysis, ligand recognition, as well as the presence of unusual hydrogen bonds in proteins.

RADDOSE-XFEL: femtosecond time-resolved dose estimates for macromolecular X-ray free-electron laser experiments

For macromolecular structure determination at synchrotron sources, radiation damage remains a major limiting factor. Estimation of the absorbed dose (J kg−1) during data collection at these sources by programs such as RADDOSE-3D has allowed direct comparison of radiation damage between experiments carried out with different samples and beam parameters. This has enabled prediction of roughly when radiation damage will manifest so it can potentially be avoided. X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), which produce intense X-ray pulses only a few femtoseconds in duration, can be used to generate diffraction patterns before most of the radiation damage processes have occurred and hence hypothetically they enable the determination of damage-free atomic resolution structures. In spite of this, several experimental and theoretical studies have suggested that structures from XFELs are not always free of radiation damage. There are currently no freely available programs designed to calculate the dose absorbed during XFEL data collection. This article presents an extension to RADDOSE-3D called RADDOSE-XFEL, which calculates the time-resolved dose during XFEL experiments. It is anticipated that RADDOSE-XFEL could be used to facilitate the study of radiation damage at XFELs and ultimately be used prior to data collection so that experimenters can plan their experiments to avoid radiation damage manifesting in their structures.

Radiation damage and dose limits in serial synchrotron crystallography at cryo- and room temperatures

Macromolecular X-ray crystallography (MX) is the most prolific structure determination method in structural biology but is limited by radiation damage. To reduce damage progression, MX is usually carried out at cryogenic temperatures, sometimes blocking functionally important conformational heterogeneity. Lacking this shortcoming, room temperature MX has gained momentum with the recent advent of serial crystallography, whereby distribution of the X-ray dose over thousands of crystals mitigates damage. Here, an approach to serial crystallography is presented allowing visualization of specific damage to amino acids at room temperature and determination of a dose limit above which structural information from electron density maps decreases due to radiation damage. This limit provides important guidance for the growing number of synchrotron room temperature MX experiments.

Radiation damage limits the accuracy of macromolecular structures in X-ray crystallography. Cryogenic (cryo-) cooling reduces the global radiation damage rate and, therefore, became the method of choice over the past decades. The recent advent of serial crystallography, which spreads the absorbed energy over many crystals, thereby reducing damage, has rendered room temperature (RT) data collection more practical and also extendable to microcrystals, both enabling and requiring the study of specific and global radiation damage at RT. Here, we performed sequential serial raster-scanning crystallography using a microfocused synchrotron beam that allowed for the collection of two series of 40 and 90 full datasets at 2- and 1.9-Å resolution at a dose rate of 40.3 MGy/s on hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) crystals at RT and cryotemperature, respectively. The diffraction intensity halved its initial value at average doses (D_1/2) of 0.57 and 15.3 MGy at RT and 100 K, respectively. Specific radiation damage at RT was observed at disulfide bonds but not at acidic residues, increasing and then apparently reversing, a peculiar behavior that can be modeled by accounting for differential diffraction intensity decay due to the nonuniform illumination by the X-ray beam. Specific damage to disulfide bonds is evident early on at RT and proceeds at a fivefold higher rate than global damage. The decay modeling suggests it is advisable not to exceed a dose of 0.38 MGy per dataset in static and time-resolved synchrotron crystallography experiments at RT. This rough yardstick might change for proteins other than HEWL and at resolutions other than 2 Å.

Solvent flows, conformation changes and lattice reordering in a cold protein crystal

When protein crystals are abruptly cooled, the unit-cell, protein and solvent-cavity volumes all contract, but the volume of bulk-like internal solvent may expand. Outflow of this solvent from the unit cell and its accumulation in defective interior crystal regions has been suggested as one cause of the large increase in crystal mosaicity on cooling. It is shown that when apoferritin crystals are abruptly cooled to temperatures between 220 and 260 K, the unit cell contracts, solvent is pushed out and the mosaicity grows. On temperature-dependent timescales of 10 to 200 s, the unit-cell and solvent-cavity volume then expand, solvent flows back in, and the mosaicity and B factor both drop. Expansion and reordering at fixed low temperature are associated with small-amplitude but large-scale changes in the conformation and packing of apoferritin. These results demonstrate that increases in mosaicity on cooling arise due to solvent flows out of or into the unit cell and to incomplete, arrested relaxation of protein conformation. They indicate a critical role for time in variable-temperature crystallographic studies, and the feasibility of probing interactions and cooperative conformational changes that underlie cold denaturation in the presence of liquid solvent at temperatures down to ∼200 K.

Resolution and dose dependence of radiation damage in biomolecular systems

The local Fourier-space relation between diffracted intensity I, diffraction wavevector q and dose D, , is key to probing and understanding radiation damage by X-rays and energetic particles in both diffraction and imaging experiments. The models used in protein crystallography for the last 50 years provide good fits to experimental I(q) versus nominal dose data, but have unclear physical significance. More recently, a fit to diffraction and imaging experiments suggested that the maximum tolerable dose varies as q ^-1 or linearly with resolution. Here, it is shown that crystallographic data have been strongly perturbed by the effects of spatially nonuniform crystal irradiation and diffraction during data collection. Reanalysis shows that these data are consistent with a purely exponential local dose dependence, = I ₀(q)exp[-D/D _e(q)], where D _e(q) ∝ q ^α with α ≃ 1.7. A physics-based model for radiation damage, in which damage events occurring at random locations within a sample each cause energy deposition and blurring of the electron density within a small volume, predicts this exponential variation with dose for all q values and a decay exponent α ≃ 2 in two and three dimensions, roughly consistent with both diffraction and imaging experiments over more than two orders of magnitude in resolution. The B-factor model used to account for radiation damage in crystallographic scaling programs is consistent with α = 2, but may not accurately capture the dose dependencies of structure factors under typical nonuniform illumination conditions. The strong q dependence of radiation-induced diffraction decays implies that the previously proposed 20-30 MGy dose limit for protein crystallography should be replaced by a resolution-dependent dose limit that, for atomic resolution data sets, will be much smaller. The results suggest that the physics underlying basic experimental trends in radiation damage at T ≃ 100 K is straightforward and universal. Deviations of the local I(q, D) from strictly exponential behavior may provide mechanistic insights, especially into the radiation-damage processes responsible for the greatly increased radiation sensitivity observed at T ≃ 300 K.

Ice formation and solvent nanoconfinement in protein crystals

Ice formation within protein crystals is a major obstacle to the cryocrystallographic study of protein structure, and has limited studies of how the structural ensemble of a protein evolves with temperature in the biophysically interesting range from ∼260 K to the protein-solvent glass transition near 200 K. Using protein crystals with solvent cavities as large as ∼70 Å, time-resolved X-ray diffraction was used to study the response of protein and internal solvent during rapid cooling. Solvent nanoconfinement suppresses freezing temperatures and ice-nucleation rates so that ice-free, low-mosaicity diffraction data can be reliably collected down to 200 K without the use of cryoprotectants. Hexagonal ice (Ih) forms in external solvent, but internal crystal solvent forms stacking-disordered ice (Isd) with a near-random stacking of cubic and hexagonal planes. Analysis of powder diffraction from internal ice and single-crystal diffraction from the host protein structure shows that the maximum crystallizable solvent fraction decreases with decreasing crystal solvent-cavity size, and that an ∼6 Å thick layer of solvent adjacent to the protein surface cannot crystallize. These results establish protein crystals as excellent model systems for the study of nanoconfined solvent. By combining fast cooling, intense X-ray beams and fast X-ray detectors, complete structural data sets for high-value targets, including membrane proteins and large complexes, may be collected at ∼220-240 K that have much lower mosaicities and comparable B factors, and that may allow more confident identification of ligand binding than in current cryocrystallographic practice.

Cryo-analytical STEM of frozen, aqueous dispersions of nanoparticles

In situ characterisation of nanoparticle dispersion and surface coatings is required to further our understanding of the behaviour of nanoparticles in aqueous suspension. Using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) it is possible to analyse a nanoparticle suspension in the frozen, hydrated state; however, this analysis is often limited to imaging alone. This work demonstrates the first use of analytical scanning TEM (STEM) in the examination of nanoparticles captured in a layer of vitreous ice. Imaging and analysis of frozen hydrated suspensions by both STEM energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) under cryogenic conditions demonstrates the identification and separation of CeO₂, Fe₂O₃, ZnO and Ag nanoparticles in suspension. Damage caused by the electron beam was shown to occur at far higher electron fluences in STEM (<2000 e^-/Ų) compared to CTEM (<100 e^-/Ų) due to diffusion limited damage by the radiolysis products generated in vitreous ice. Further application of cryo-analytical STEM was undertaken on barium titanate biomarker nanoparticles dispersed in cell culture media to show the formation of a Ca and P rich coating around the nanoparticles when suspended in the media. This previously unreported coating changes the surface chemistry of the biomarkers when exposed to cells. Thus we show that the technique has the potential to advance our understanding of the fundamental behaviour of nanoparticles in complex aqueous suspensions.

Sample manipulation and data assembly for robust microcrystal synchrotron crystallography

With the recent developments in microcrystal handling, synchrotron microdiffraction beamline instrumentation and data analysis, microcrystal crystallo-graphy with crystal sizes of less than 10 µm is appealing at synchrotrons. However, challenges remain in sample manipulation and data assembly for robust microcrystal synchrotron crystallography. Here, the development of micro-sized polyimide well-mounts for the manipulation of microcrystals of a few micrometres in size and the implementation of a robust data-analysis method for the assembly of rotational microdiffraction data sets from many microcrystals are described. The method demonstrates that microcrystals may be routinely utilized for the acquisition and assembly of complete data sets from synchrotron microdiffraction beamlines.

Lifetimes and spatio-temporal response of protein crystals in intense X-ray microbeams

Serial synchrotron-based crystallography using intense microfocused X-ray beams, fast-framing detectors and protein microcrystals held at 300 K promises to expand the range of accessible structural targets and to increase overall structure-pipeline throughputs. To explore the nature and consequences of X-ray radiation damage under microbeam illumination, the time-, dose- and temperature-dependent evolution of crystal diffraction have been measured with maximum dose rates of 50 MGy s-1. At all temperatures and dose rates, the integrated diffraction intensity for a fixed crystal orientation shows non-exponential decays with dose. Non-exponential decays are a consequence of non-uniform illumination and the resulting spatial evolution of diffracted intensity within the illuminated crystal volume. To quantify radiation-damage lifetimes and the damage state of diffracting crystal regions, a revised diffraction-weighted dose (DWD) is defined and it is shown that for Gaussian beams the DWD becomes nearly independent of actual dose at large doses. An apparent delayed onset of radiation damage seen in some intensity-dose curves is in fact a consequence of damage. Intensity fluctuations at high dose rates may arise from the impulsive release of gaseous damage products. Accounting for these effects, data collection at the highest dose rates increases crystal radiation lifetimes near 300 K (but not at 100 K) by a factor of ∼1.5-2 compared with those observed at conventional dose rates. Improved quantification and modeling of the complex spatio-temporal evolution of protein microcrystal diffraction in intense microbeams will enable more efficient data collection, and will be essential in improving the accuracy of structure factors and structural models.

A Peltier-cooled microscope stage for protein crystal post-crystallization treatment

Crystals of the multi-enzyme complex hydrazine synthase showed severe diffuse scattering and high mosaicity. Improved diffraction quality was achieved by soaking the crystals in highly concentrated betaine solutions at reduced temperatures. To enable this, a Peltier-cooled microscope stage was developed for the slow cooling of protein crystals immersed in cryoprotectants or other soaking solutions. Both the construction of the stage and its successful application to hydrazine synthase crystals are described.

Active-site protein dynamics and solvent accessibility in native Achromobacter cycloclastes copper nitrite reductase

Microbial nitrite reductases are denitrifying enzymes that are a major component of the global nitrogen cycle. Multiple structures measured from one crystal (MSOX data) of copper nitrite reductase at 240 K, together with molecular-dynamics simulations, have revealed protein dynamics at the type 2 copper site that are significant for its catalytic properties and for the entry and exit of solvent or ligands to and from the active site. Molecular-dynamics simulations were performed using different protonation states of the key catalytic residues (AspCAT and HisCAT) involved in the nitrite-reduction mechanism of this enzyme. Taken together, the crystal structures and simulations show that the AspCAT protonation state strongly influences the active-site solvent accessibility, while the dynamics of the active-site 'capping residue' (IleCAT), a determinant of ligand binding, are influenced both by temperature and by the protonation state of AspCAT. A previously unobserved conformation of IleCAT is seen in the elevated temperature series compared with 100 K structures. DFT calculations also show that the loss of a bound water ligand at the active site during the MSOX series is consistent with reduction of the type 2 Cu atom.

X-ray radiation damage to biological macromolecules: further insights

Despite significant progress made over more than 15 years of research, structural biologists are still grappling with the issue of radiation damage suffered by macromolecular crystals which is induced by the resultant radiation chemistry occurring during X-ray diffraction experiments. Further insights into these effects and the possible mitigation strategies for use in both diffraction and SAXS experiments are given in eight papers in this volume. In particular, damage during experimental phasing is addressed, scavengers for SAXS experiments are investigated, microcrystals are imaged, data collection strategies are optimized, specific damage to tyrosine residues is reexamined, and room temperature conformational heterogeneity as a function of dose is explored. The brief summary below puts these papers into perspective relative to other ongoing radiation damage research on macromolecules.

Radiation Damage in Macromolecular Crystallography

Radiation damage inflicted on macromolecular crystals during X-ray diffraction experiments remains a limiting factor for structure solution, even when samples are cooled to cryotemperatures (~100 K). Efforts to establish mitigation strategies are ongoing and various approaches, summarized below, have been investigated over the last 15 years, resulting in a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical factors affecting damage rates. The recent advent of X-ray free electron lasers permits "diffraction-before-destruction" by providing highly brilliant and short (a few tens of fs) X-ray pulses. New fourth generation synchrotron sources now coming on line with higher X-ray flux densities than those available from third generation synchrotrons will bring the issue of radiation damage once more to the fore for structural biologists.

Conformational variation of proteins at room temperature is not dominated by radiation damage

Protein crystallography data collection at synchrotrons is routinely carried out at cryogenic temperatures to mitigate radiation damage. Although damage still takes place at 100 K and below, the immobilization of free radicals increases the lifetime of the crystals by approximately 100-fold. Recent studies have shown that flash-cooling decreases the heterogeneity of the conformational ensemble and can hide important functional mechanisms from observation. These discoveries have motivated increasing numbers of experiments to be carried out at room temperature. However, the trade-offs between increased risk of radiation damage and increased observation of alternative conformations at room temperature relative to cryogenic temperature have not been examined. A considerable amount of effort has previously been spent studying radiation damage at cryo-temperatures, but the relevance of these studies to room temperature diffraction is not well understood. Here, the effects of radiation damage on the conformational landscapes of three different proteins (T. danielli thaumatin, hen egg-white lysozyme and human cyclophilin A) at room (278 K) and cryogenic (100 K) temperatures are investigated. Increasingly damaged datasets were collected at each temperature, up to a maximum dose of the order of 107 Gy at 100 K and 105 Gy at 278 K. Although it was not possible to discern a clear trend between damage and multiple conformations at either temperature, it was observed that disorder, monitored by B-factor-dependent crystallographic order parameters, increased with higher absorbed dose for the three proteins at 100 K. At 278 K, however, the total increase in this disorder was only statistically significant for thaumatin. A correlation between specific radiation damage affecting side chains and the amount of disorder was not observed. This analysis suggests that elevated conformational heterogeneity in crystal structures at room temperature is observed despite radiation damage, and not as a result thereof.

Temperature-dependent radiation sensitivity and order of 70S ribosome crystals

All evidence to date indicates that at T = 100 K all protein crystals exhibit comparable sensitivity to X-ray damage when quantified using global metrics such as change in scaling B factor or integrated intensity versus dose. This is consistent with observations in cryo-electron microscopy, and results because nearly all diffusive motions of protein and solvent, including motions induced by radiation damage, are frozen out. But how do the sensitivities of different proteins compare at room temperature, where radiation-induced radicals are free to diffuse and protein and lattice structures are free to relax in response to local damage? It might be expected that a large complex with extensive conformational degrees of freedom would be more radiation sensitive than a small, compact globular protein. As a test case, the radiation sensitivity of 70S ribosome crystals has been examined. At T = 100 and 300 K, the half doses are 64 MGy (at 3 Å resolution) and 150 kGy (at 5 Å resolution), respectively. The maximum tolerable dose in a crystallography experiment depends upon the initial or desired resolution. When differences in initial data-set resolution are accounted for, the former half dose is roughly consistent with that for model proteins, and the 100/300 K half-dose ratio is roughly a factor of ten larger. 70S ribosome crystals exhibit substantially increased resolution at 100 K relative to 300 K owing to cooling-induced ordering and not to reduced radiation sensitivity and slower radiation damage.

Anomalous diffraction in crystallographic phase evaluation

X-ray diffraction patterns from crystals of biological macromolecules contain sufficient information to define atomic structures, but atomic positions are inextricable without having electron-density images. Diffraction measurements provide amplitudes, but the computation of electron density also requires phases for the diffracted waves. The resonance phenomenon known as anomalous scattering offers a powerful solution to this phase problem. Exploiting scattering resonances from diverse elements, the methods of MAD (multiwavelength anomalous diffraction) and SAD (single-wavelength anomalous diffraction) now predominate for de novo determinations of atomic-level biological structures. This review describes the physical underpinnings of anomalous diffraction methods, the evolution of these methods to their current maturity, the elements, procedures and instrumentation used for effective implementation, and the realm of applications.

Breaking the radiation damage limit with Cryo-SAXS

Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) is a versatile and widely used technique for obtaining low-resolution structures of macromolecules and complexes. SAXS experiments measure molecules in solution, without the need for labeling or crystallization. However, radiation damage currently limits the application of SAXS to molecules that can be produced in microgram quantities; for typical proteins, 10-20 μL of solution at 1 mg/mL is required to accumulate adequate signal before irreversible x-ray damage is observed. Here, we show that cryocooled proteins and nucleic acids can withstand doses at least two orders of magnitude larger than room temperature samples. We demonstrate accurate T = 100 K particle envelope reconstructions from sample volumes as small as 15 nL, a factor of 1000 smaller than in current practice. Cryo-SAXS will thus enable structure determination of difficult-to-express proteins and biologically important, highly radiation-sensitive proteins including light-activated switches and metalloenzymes.

A survey of global radiation damage to 15 different protein crystal types at room temperature: a new decay model

The radiation damage rates to crystals of 15 model macromolecular structures were studied using an automated radiation sensitivity characterization procedure. The diffracted intensity variation with dose is described by a two-parameter model. This model includes a strong resolution-independent decay specific to room-temperature measurements along with a linear increase in overall Debye-Waller factors. An equivalent representation of sensitivity via a single parameter, normalized half-dose, is introduced. This parameter varies by an order of magnitude between the different structures studied. The data show a correlation of crystal radiation sensitivity with crystal solvent content but no dose-rate dependency was detected in the range 0.05-300 kGy s(-1). The results of the crystal characterization are suitable for either optimal planning of room-temperature data collection or in situ crystallization plate screening experiments.

Radiation damage to biological macromolecules: some answers and more questions

Research into radiation damage in macromolecular crystallography has matured over the last few years, resulting in a better understanding of both the processes and timescales involved. In turn this is now allowing practical recommendations for the optimization of crystal dose lifetime to be suggested. Some long-standing questions have been answered by recent investigations, and from these answers new challenges arise and areas of investigation can be proposed. Six papers published in this volume give an indication of some of the current directions of this field and also that of single-particle cryo-microscopy, and the brief summary below places them into the overall framework of ongoing research into macromolecular crystallography radiation damage.

Global radiation damage: temperature dependence, time dependence and how to outrun it

A series of studies that provide a consistent and illuminating picture of global radiation damage to protein crystals, especially at temperatures above ∼200 K, are described. The radiation sensitivity shows a transition near 200 K, above which it appears to be limited by solvent-coupled diffusive processes. Consistent with this interpretation, a component of global damage proceeds on timescales of several minutes at 180 K, decreasing to seconds near room temperature. As a result, data collection times of order 1 s allow up to half of global damage to be outrun at 260 K. Much larger damage reductions near room temperature should be feasible using larger dose rates delivered using microfocused beams, enabling a significant expansion of structural studies of proteins under more nearly native conditions.

Spatial distribution of radiation damage to crystalline proteins at 25-300 K

The spatial distribution of radiation damage (assayed by increases in atomic B factors) to thaumatin and urease crystals at temperatures ranging from 25 to 300 K is reported. The nature of the damage changes dramatically at approximately 180 K. Above this temperature the role of solvent diffusion is apparent in thaumatin crystals, as solvent-exposed turns and loops are especially sensitive. In urease, a flap covering the active site is the most sensitive part of the molecule and nearby loops show enhanced sensitivity. Below 180 K sensitivity is correlated with poor local packing, especially in thaumatin. At all temperatures, the component of the damage that is spatially uniform within the unit cell accounts for more than half of the total increase in the atomic B factors and correlates with changes in mosaicity. This component may arise from lattice-level, rather than local, disorder. The effects of primary structure on radiation sensitivity are small compared with those of tertiary structure, local packing, solvent accessibility and crystal contacts.

Global radiation damage at 300 and 260 K with dose rates approaching 1 MGy s⁻¹

Global radiation damage to 19 thaumatin crystals has been measured using dose rates from 3 to 680 kGy s⁻¹. At room temperature damage per unit dose appears to be roughly independent of dose rate, suggesting that the timescales for important damage processes are less than ∼1 s. However, at T = 260 K approximately half of the global damage manifested at dose rates of ∼10 kGy s⁻¹ can be outrun by collecting data at 680 kGy s⁻¹. Appreciable sample-to-sample variability in global radiation sensitivity at fixed dose rate is observed. This variability cannot be accounted for by errors in dose calculation, crystal slippage or the size of the data sets in the assay.

Can radiation damage to protein crystals be reduced using small-molecule compounds?

Recent studies have defined a data-collection protocol and a metric that provide a robust measure of global radiation damage to protein crystals. Using this protocol and metric, 19 small-molecule compounds (introduced either by cocrystallization or soaking) were evaluated for their ability to protect lysozyme crystals from radiation damage. The compounds were selected based upon their ability to interact with radiolytic products (e.g. hydrated electrons, hydrogen, hydroxyl and perhydroxyl radicals) and/or their efficacy in protecting biological molecules from radiation damage in dilute aqueous solutions. At room temperature, 12 compounds had no effect and six had a sensitizing effect on global damage. Only one compound, sodium nitrate, appeared to extend crystal lifetimes, but not in all proteins and only by a factor of two or less. No compound provided protection at T=100 K. Scavengers are ineffective in protecting protein crystals from global damage because a large fraction of primary X-ray-induced excitations are generated in and/or directly attack the protein and because the ratio of scavenger molecules to protein molecules is too small to provide appreciable competitive protection. The same reactivity that makes some scavengers effective radioprotectors in protein solutions may explain their sensitizing effect in the protein-dense environment of a crystal. A more productive focus for future efforts may be to identify and eliminate sensitizing compounds from crystallization solutions.

Dark progression reveals slow timescales for radiation damage between T = 180 and 240 K

Can radiation damage to protein crystals be `outrun' by collecting a structural data set before damage is manifested? Recent experiments using ultra-intense pulses from a free-electron laser show that the answer is yes. Here, evidence is presented that significant reductions in global damage at temperatures above 200 K may be possible using conventional X-ray sources and current or soon-to-be available detectors. Specifically, `dark progression' (an increase in damage with time after the X-rays have been turned off) was observed at temperatures between 180 and 240 K and on timescales from 200 to 1200 s. This allowed estimation of the temperature-dependent timescale for damage. The rate of dark progression is consistent with an Arrhenius law with an activation energy of 14 kJ mol(-1). This is comparable to the activation energy for the solvent-coupled diffusive damage processes responsible for the rapid increase in radiation sensitivity as crystals are warmed above the glass transition near 200 K. Analysis suggests that at T = 300 K data-collection times of the order of 1 s (and longer at lower temperatures) may allow significant reductions in global radiation damage, facilitating structure solution on crystals with liquid solvent. No dark progression was observed below T = 180 K, indicating that no important damage process is slowed through this timescale window in this temperature range.

Assessment of radiation damage behaviour in a large collection of empirically optimized datasets highlights the importance of unmeasured complicating effects

The radiation damage behaviour in 43 datasets of 34 different proteins collected over a year was examined, in order to gauge the reliability of decay metrics in practical situations, and to assess how these datasets, optimized only empirically for decay, would have benefited from the precise and automatic prediction of decay now possible with the programs RADDOSE [Murray, Garman & Ravelli (2004). J. Appl. Cryst. 37, 513-522] and BEST [Bourenkov & Popov (2010). Acta Cryst. D66, 409-419]. The results indicate that in routine practice the diffraction experiment is not yet characterized well enough to support such precise predictions, as these depend fundamentally on three interrelated variables which cannot yet be determined robustly and practically: the flux density distribution of the beam; the exact crystal volume; the sensitivity of the crystal to dose. The former two are not satisfactorily approximated from typical beamline information such as nominal beam size and transmission, or two-dimensional images of the beam and crystal; the discrepancies are particularly marked when using microfocus beams (<20 µm). Empirically monitoring decay with the dataset scaling B factor (Bourenkov & Popov, 2010) appears more robust but is complicated by anisotropic and/or low-resolution diffraction. These observations serve to delineate the challenges, scientific and logistic, that remain to be addressed if tools for managing radiation damage in practical data collection are to be conveniently robust enough to be useful in real time.

Similarities and differences in radiation damage at 100 K versus 160 K in a crystal of thermolysin

The temperature-dependence of radiation damage in macromolecular X-ray crystallography is currently much debated. Most protein crystallographic studies are based on data collected at 100 K. Data collection at temperatures below 100 K has been proposed to reduce radiation damage and above 100 K to be useful for kinetic crystallography that is aimed at the generation and trapping of protein intermediate states. Here the global and specific synchrotron-radiation sensitivity of crystalline thermolysin at 100 and 160 K are compared. Both types of damage are higher at 160 K than at 100 K. At 160 K more residue types are affected (Lys, Asp, Gln, Pro, Thr, Met, Asn) than at 100 K (Met, Asp, Glu, Lys). The X-ray-induced relative atomic B-factor increase is shown to correlate with the proximity of the atom to the nearest solvent channel at 160 K. Two models may explain the observed correlation: either an increase in static disorder or an increased attack of hydroxyl radicals from the solvent area of the crystal.

Radiation damage in room-temperature data acquisition with the PILATUS 6M pixel detector

The first study of room-temperature macromolecular crystallography data acquisition with a silicon pixel detector is presented, where the data are collected in continuous sample rotation mode, with millisecond read-out time and no read-out noise. Several successive datasets were collected sequentially from single test crystals of thaumatin and insulin. The dose rate ranged between ∼ 1320 Gy s(-1) and ∼ 8420 Gy s(-1) with corresponding frame rates between 1.565 Hz and 12.5 Hz. The data were analysed for global radiation damage. A previously unreported negative dose-rate effect is observed in the indicators of global radiation damage, which showed an approximately 75% decrease in D(1/2) at sixfold higher dose rate. The integrated intensity decreases in an exponential manner. Sample heating that could give rise to the enhanced radiation sensitivity at higher dose rate is investigated by collecting data between crystal temperatures of 298 K and 353 K. UV-Vis spectroscopy is used to demonstrate that disulfide radicals and trapped electrons do not accumulate at high dose rates in continuous data collection.

Macromolecular crystallography radiation damage research: what's new?

Radiation damage in macromolecular crystallography has become a mainstream concern over the last ten years. The current status of research into this area is briefly assessed, and the ten new papers published in this issue are set into the context of previous work in the field. Some novel and exciting developments emerging over the last two years are also summarized.