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Moon J, Lee Y, Ihee H. Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography for investigating structural dynamics of chemical systems. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:9472-9482. [PMID: 39118495 DOI: 10.1039/d4cc03185g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) has emerged as a crucial tool for studying the structural dynamics of proteins. In principle, TR-SFX has the potential to be a powerful tool not only for studying proteins but also for investigating chemical reactions. However, non-protein systems generally face challenges in indexing due to sparse Bragg spots and encounter difficulties in effectively exciting target molecules. Nevertheless, successful TR-SFX studies on chemical systems have been recently reported in a few instances, boding well for the application of TR-SFX to study chemical reactions in the future. In this context, we review the static SFX and TR-SFX studies conducted on chemical systems reported to date and suggest prospects for future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungho Moon
- Center for Advanced Reaction Dynamics (CARD), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yunbeom Lee
- Center for Advanced Reaction Dynamics (CARD), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyotcherl Ihee
- Center for Advanced Reaction Dynamics (CARD), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Henkel A, Oberthür D. A snapshot love story: what serial crystallography has done and will do for us. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2024; 80:563-579. [PMID: 38984902 PMCID: PMC11301758 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798324005588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography, born from groundbreaking experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source in 2009, has evolved into a pivotal technique in structural biology. Initially pioneered at X-ray free-electron laser facilities, it has now expanded to synchrotron-radiation facilities globally, with dedicated experimental stations enhancing its accessibility. This review gives an overview of current developments in serial crystallography, emphasizing recent results in time-resolved crystallography, and discussing challenges and shortcomings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Henkel
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFELDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESYNotkestr. 8522607HamburgGermany
| | - Dominik Oberthür
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFELDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESYNotkestr. 8522607HamburgGermany
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3
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Perrett S, Fadini A, Hutchison CDM, Bhattacharya S, Morrison C, Turkot O, Jakobsen MB, Größler M, Licón-Saláiz J, Griese F, Flewett S, Valerio J, Schulz J, Biednov M, Jiang Y, Han H, Yousef H, Khakhulin D, Milne C, Barty A, van Thor JJ. Kilohertz droplet-on-demand serial femtosecond crystallography at the European XFEL station FXE. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2024; 11:024310. [PMID: 38638699 PMCID: PMC11026113 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) allow the collection of high-quality serial femtosecond crystallography data. The next generation of megahertz superconducting FELs promises to drastically reduce data collection times, enabling the capture of more structures with higher signal-to-noise ratios and facilitating more complex experiments. Currently, gas dynamic virtual nozzles (GDVNs) stand as the sole delivery method capable of best utilizing the repetition rate of megahertz sources for crystallography. However, their substantial sample consumption renders their use impractical for many protein targets in serial crystallography experiments. Here, we present a novel application of a droplet-on-demand injection method, which allowed operation at 47 kHz at the European XFEL (EuXFEL) by tailoring a multi-droplet injection scheme for each macro-pulse. We demonstrate a collection rate of 150 000 indexed patterns per hour. We show that the performance and effective data collection rate are comparable to GDVN, with a sample consumption reduction of two orders of magnitude. We present lysozyme crystallographic data using the Large Pixel Detector at the femtosecond x-ray experiment endstation. Significant improvement of the crystallographic statistics was made by correcting for a systematic drift of the photon energy in the EuXFEL macro-pulse train, which was characterized from indexing the individual frames in the pulse train. This is the highest resolution protein structure collected and reported at the EuXFEL at 1.38 Å resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Perrett
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alisia Fadini
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sayantan Bhattacharya
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Cade Morrison
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mads Bregenholt Jakobsen
- Center for Data and Computing in Natural Sciences (CDCS), Notkestrasse 10, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Größler
- Center for Data and Computing in Natural Sciences (CDCS), Notkestrasse 10, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - José Licón-Saláiz
- Center for Data and Computing in Natural Sciences (CDCS), Notkestrasse 10, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Samuel Flewett
- Center for Data and Computing in Natural Sciences (CDCS), Notkestrasse 10, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joana Valerio
- European XFEL, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | | | | | - Yifeng Jiang
- European XFEL, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Huijong Han
- European XFEL, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Hazem Yousef
- European XFEL, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | | | | | - Anton Barty
- Center for Data and Computing in Natural Sciences (CDCS), Notkestrasse 10, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jasper J. van Thor
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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4
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Khusainov G, Standfuss J, Weinert T. The time revolution in macromolecular crystallography. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2024; 11:020901. [PMID: 38616866 PMCID: PMC11015943 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Macromolecular crystallography has historically provided the atomic structures of proteins fundamental to cellular functions. However, the advent of cryo-electron microscopy for structure determination of large and increasingly smaller and flexible proteins signaled a paradigm shift in structural biology. The extensive structural and sequence data from crystallography and advanced sequencing techniques have been pivotal for training computational models for accurate structure prediction, unveiling the general fold of most proteins. Here, we present a perspective on the rise of time-resolved crystallography as the new frontier of macromolecular structure determination. We trace the evolution from the pioneering time-resolved crystallography methods to modern serial crystallography, highlighting the synergy between rapid detection technologies and state-of-the-art x-ray sources. These innovations are redefining our exploration of protein dynamics, with high-resolution crystallography uniquely positioned to elucidate rapid dynamic processes at ambient temperatures, thus deepening our understanding of protein functionality. We propose that the integration of dynamic structural data with machine learning advancements will unlock predictive capabilities for protein kinetics, revolutionizing dynamics like macromolecular crystallography revolutionized structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgii Khusainov
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Joerg Standfuss
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Weinert
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
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5
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Nam KH. Guide to serial synchrotron crystallography. Curr Res Struct Biol 2024; 7:100131. [PMID: 38371325 PMCID: PMC10869752 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2024.100131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography (SX) is an emerging technique that can be used to determine the noncryogenic crystal structure of macromolecules while minimizing radiation damage. Applying SX using pump-probe or mix-and-inject techniques enables the observation of time-resolved molecular reactions and dynamics in macromolecules. After the successful demonstration of the SX experimental technique with structure determination in serial femtosecond crystallography using an X-ray free electron laser, this method was adapted to the synchrotron, leading to the development of serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX). SSX offers new opportunities for researchers to leverage SX techniques, contributing to the advancement of structural biology and offering a deeper understanding of the structure and function of macromolecules. This review covers the background and advantages of SSX and its experimental approach. It also discusses important considerations when conducting SSX experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Hyun Nam
- College of General Education, Kookmin University, Seoul, 02707, Republic of Korea
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6
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Nanev CN, Saridakis E, Chayen NE. Growing Crystals for X-ray Free-Electron Laser Structural Studies of Biomolecules and Their Complexes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16336. [PMID: 38003524 PMCID: PMC10671731 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, X-ray crystallography, which typically uses synchrotron sources, remains the dominant method for structural determination of proteins and other biomolecules. However, small protein crystals do not provide sufficiently high-resolution diffraction patterns and suffer radiation damage; therefore, conventional X-ray crystallography needs larger protein crystals. The burgeoning method of serial crystallography using X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) avoids these challenges: it affords excellent structural data from weakly diffracting objects, including tiny crystals. An XFEL is implemented by irradiating microjets of suspensions of microcrystals with very intense X-ray beams. However, while the method for creating microcrystalline microjets is well established, little attention is given to the growth of high-quality nano/microcrystals suitable for XFEL experiments. In this study, in order to assist the growth of such crystals, we calculate the mean crystal size and the time needed to grow crystals to the desired size in batch crystallization (the predominant method for preparing the required microcrystalline slurries); this time is reckoned theoretically both for microcrystals and for crystals larger than the upper limit of the Gibbs-Thomson effect. The impact of the omnipresent impurities on the growth of microcrystals is also considered quantitatively. Experiments, performed with the model protein lysozyme, support the theoretical predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christo N. Nanev
- Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Emmanuel Saridakis
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Ag. Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece
| | - Naomi E. Chayen
- Division of Systems Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK;
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7
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Botha S, Fromme P. Review of serial femtosecond crystallography including the COVID-19 pandemic impact and future outlook. Structure 2023; 31:1306-1319. [PMID: 37898125 PMCID: PMC10842180 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) revolutionized macromolecular crystallography over the past decade by enabling the collection of X-ray diffraction data from nano- or micrometer sized crystals while outrunning structure-altering radiation damage effects at room temperature. The serial manner of data collection from millions of individual crystals coupled with the femtosecond duration of the ultrabright X-ray pulses enables time-resolved studies of macromolecules under near-physiological conditions to unprecedented temporal resolution. In 2020 the rapid spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a global pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019. This led to a shift in how serial femtosecond experiments were performed, along with rapid funding and free electron laser beamtime availability dedicated to SARS-CoV-2-related studies. This review outlines the current state of SFX research, the milestones that were achieved, the impact of the global pandemic on this field as well as an outlook into exciting future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Botha
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5001, USA; Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA.
| | - Petra Fromme
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5001, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA.
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8
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Birch J, Kwan TOC, Judge PJ, Axford D, Aller P, Butryn A, Reis RI, Bada Juarez JF, Vinals J, Owen RL, Nango E, Tanaka R, Tono K, Joti Y, Tanaka T, Owada S, Sugahara M, Iwata S, Orville AM, Watts A, Moraes I. A versatile approach to high-density microcrystals in lipidic cubic phase for room-temperature serial crystallography. J Appl Crystallogr 2023; 56:1361-1370. [PMID: 37791355 PMCID: PMC10543674 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576723006428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography has emerged as an important tool for structural studies of integral membrane proteins. The ability to collect data from micrometre-sized weakly diffracting crystals at room temperature with minimal radiation damage has opened many new opportunities in time-resolved studies and drug discovery. However, the production of integral membrane protein microcrystals in lipidic cubic phase at the desired crystal density and quantity is challenging. This paper introduces VIALS (versatile approach to high-density microcrystals in lipidic cubic phase for serial crystallography), a simple, fast and efficient method for preparing hundreds of microlitres of high-density microcrystals suitable for serial X-ray diffraction experiments at both synchrotron and free-electron laser sources. The method is also of great benefit for rational structure-based drug design as it facilitates in situ crystal soaking and rapid determination of many co-crystal structures. Using the VIALS approach, room-temperature structures are reported of (i) the archaerhodopsin-3 protein in its dark-adapted state and 110 ns photocycle intermediate, determined to 2.2 and 1.7 Å, respectively, and (ii) the human A2A adenosine receptor in complex with two different ligands determined to a resolution of 3.5 Å.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Birch
- Membrane Protein Laboratory, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Tristan O. C. Kwan
- ChemBio, National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
| | - Peter J. Judge
- Biochemistry Department, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Danny Axford
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Aller
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Agata Butryn
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Rosana I. Reis
- ChemBio, National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
| | - Juan F. Bada Juarez
- Biochemistry Department, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Javier Vinals
- Biochemistry Department, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Robin L. Owen
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Rie Tanaka
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Kensuke Tono
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Joti
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Tanaka
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Shigeki Owada
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Michihiro Sugahara
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - So Iwata
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Allen M. Orville
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony Watts
- Biochemistry Department, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Isabel Moraes
- ChemBio, National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
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Liu Z, Gu KK, Shelby ML, Gilbile D, Lyubimov AY, Russi S, Cohen AE, Narayanasamy SR, Botha S, Kupitz C, Sierra RG, Poitevin F, Gilardi A, Lisova S, Coleman MA, Frank M, Kuhl TL. A user-friendly plug-and-play cyclic olefin copolymer-based microfluidic chip for room-temperature, fixed-target serial crystallography. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2023; 79:944-952. [PMID: 37747292 PMCID: PMC10565732 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798323007027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, serial X-ray crystallography has enabled the structure determination of a wide range of proteins. With the advent of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), ever-smaller crystals have yielded high-resolution diffraction and structure determination. A crucial need to continue advancement is the efficient delivery of fragile and micrometre-sized crystals to the X-ray beam intersection. This paper presents an improved design of an all-polymer microfluidic `chip' for room-temperature fixed-target serial crystallography that can be tailored to broadly meet the needs of users at either synchrotron or XFEL light sources. The chips are designed to be customized around different types of crystals and offer users a friendly, quick, convenient, ultra-low-cost and robust sample-delivery platform. Compared with the previous iteration of the chip [Gilbile et al. (2021), Lab Chip, 21, 4831-4845], the new design eliminates cleanroom fabrication. It has a larger imaging area to volume, while maintaining crystal hydration stability for both in situ crystallization or direct crystal slurry loading. Crystals of two model proteins, lysozyme and thaumatin, were used to validate the effectiveness of the design at both synchrotron (lysozyme and thaumatin) and XFEL (lysozyme only) facilities, yielding complete data sets with resolutions of 1.42, 1.48 and 1.70 Å, respectively. Overall, the improved chip design, ease of fabrication and high modifiability create a powerful, all-around sample-delivery tool that structural biologists can quickly adopt, especially in cases of limited sample volume and small, fragile crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongrui Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kevin K. Gu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Megan L. Shelby
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
| | - Deepshika Gilbile
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Artem Y. Lyubimov
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Silvia Russi
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Aina E. Cohen
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Sankar Raju Narayanasamy
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
| | - Sabine Botha
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Christopher Kupitz
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Raymond G. Sierra
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Fredric Poitevin
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Antonio Gilardi
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Stella Lisova
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Matthew A. Coleman
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Matthias Frank
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Tonya L. Kuhl
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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10
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Chatzimagas L, Hub JS. Molecular Simulations of Liquid Jet Explosions and Shock Waves Induced by X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:134003. [PMID: 37832003 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.134003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) produce x-ray pulses with high brilliance and short pulse duration. These properties enable structural investigations of biomolecular nanocrystals, and they allow one to resolve the dynamics of biomolecules down to the femtosecond timescale. Liquid jets are widely used to deliver samples into the XFEL beam. The impact of the x-ray pulse leads to vaporization and explosion of the liquid jet, while the expanding gas triggers the formation of shock wave trains traveling along the jet, which may affect biomolecular samples before they have been probed. Here, we used molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the structural dynamics of shock waves after an x-ray impact. Analysis of the density and temperature in the jet revealed shock waves that form close to the explosion center, travel along the jet with supersonic velocities, and decay exponentially with an attenuation length proportional to the jet diameter. A trailing shock wave formed after the first shock wave, similar to the shock wave trains in experiments. High shock wave velocities in our simulations are compatible with the phenomenon of "fast sound," as emerging at large sound frequencies. Although using purely classical models in the simulations, the resulting explosion geometry and shock wave dynamics closely resemble experimental findings, and they highlight the importance of atomistic details for modeling shock wave attenuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Chatzimagas
- Theoretical Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Jochen S Hub
- Theoretical Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
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11
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Gu KK, Liu Z, Narayanasamy SR, Shelby ML, Chan N, Coleman MA, Frank M, Kuhl TL. All polymer microfluidic chips-A fixed target sample delivery workhorse for serial crystallography. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2023; 17:051302. [PMID: 37840537 PMCID: PMC10576627 DOI: 10.1063/5.0167164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
The development of x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) light sources and serial crystallography methodologies has led to a revolution in protein crystallography, enabling the determination of previously unobtainable protein structures and near-atomic resolution of otherwise poorly diffracting protein crystals. However, to utilize XFEL sources efficiently demands the continuous, rapid delivery of a large number of difficult-to-handle microcrystals to the x-ray beam. A recently developed fixed-target system, in which crystals of interest are enclosed within a sample holder, which is rastered through the x-ray beam, is discussed in detail in this Perspective. The fixed target is easy to use, maintains sample hydration, and can be readily modified to allow a broad range of sample types and different beamline requirements. Recent innovations demonstrate the potential of such microfluidic-based fixed targets to be an all-around "workhorse" for serial crystallography measurements. This Perspective will summarize recent advancements in microfluidic fixed targets for serial crystallography, examine needs for future development, and guide users in designing, choosing, and utilizing a fixed-target sample delivery device for their system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K. Gu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Zhongrui Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Sankar Raju Narayanasamy
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - Megan L. Shelby
- Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - Nicholas Chan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | | | | | - Tonya L. Kuhl
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
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12
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Vakili M, Han H, Schmidt C, Wrona A, Kloos M, de Diego I, Dörner K, Geng T, Kim C, Koua FHM, Melo DVM, Rappas M, Round A, Round E, Sikorski M, Valerio J, Zhou T, Lorenzen K, Schulz J. Mix-and-extrude: high-viscosity sample injection towards time-resolved protein crystallography. J Appl Crystallogr 2023; 56:1038-1045. [PMID: 37555221 PMCID: PMC10405586 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576723004405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Time-resolved crystallography enables the visualization of protein molecular motion during a reaction. Although light is often used to initiate reactions in time-resolved crystallography, only a small number of proteins can be activated by light. However, many biological reactions can be triggered by the interaction between proteins and ligands. The sample delivery method presented here uses a mix-and-extrude approach based on 3D-printed microchannels in conjunction with a micronozzle. The diffusive mixing enables the study of the dynamics of samples in viscous media. The device design allows mixing of the ligands and protein crystals in 2 to 20 s. The device characterization using a model system (fluorescence quenching of iq-mEmerald proteins by copper ions) demonstrated that ligand and protein crystals, each within lipidic cubic phase, can be mixed efficiently. The potential of this approach for time-resolved membrane protein crystallography to support the development of new drugs is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Huijong Han
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
| | | | | | - Marco Kloos
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
| | - Iñaki de Diego
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
| | | | - Tian Geng
- Sosei Heptares, Steinmetz Building, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United Kingdom
| | - Chan Kim
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
| | | | | | - Mathieu Rappas
- Sosei Heptares, Steinmetz Building, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Round
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
| | | | | | - Joana Valerio
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
| | - Tiankun Zhou
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | | | - Joachim Schulz
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, Schenefeld 22869, Germany
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13
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Picchiotti A, Precek M, Zymaková A, Erichlandwehr T, Liu Y, Wiste T, Kahan P, Fernandez-Cuesta I, Andreasson J. Engraving of stainless-steel wires to improve optical quality of closed-loop wire-guided flow jet systems for optical and X-ray spectroscopy. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1079029. [PMID: 37388247 PMCID: PMC10300417 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1079029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper describes performance enhancement developments to a closed-loop pump-driven wire-guided flow jet (WGJ) for ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy of liquid samples. Achievements include dramatically improved sample surface quality and reduced equipment footprint from 7 × 20 cm2 to 6 × 6 cm2, cost, and manufacturing time. Qualitative and quantitative measurements show that micro-scale wire surface modification yields significant improvements to the topography of the sample liquid surface. By manipulating their wettability, it is possible to better control the liquid sheet thickness and to obtain a smooth liquid sample surface, as demonstrated in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Picchiotti
- ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolni Brezany, Czechia
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Precek
- ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolni Brezany, Czechia
| | - Anna Zymaková
- ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolni Brezany, Czechia
| | - Tim Erichlandwehr
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yingliang Liu
- ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolni Brezany, Czechia
- Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czechia
| | - Tuomas Wiste
- ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolni Brezany, Czechia
| | - Petr Kahan
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Irene Fernandez-Cuesta
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Andreasson
- ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, Dolni Brezany, Czechia
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14
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Shoeman RL, Hartmann E, Schlichting I. Growing and making nano- and microcrystals. Nat Protoc 2023; 18:854-882. [PMID: 36451055 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00777-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Thanks to recent technological advances in X-ray and micro-electron diffraction and solid-state NMR, structural information can be obtained by using much smaller crystals. Thus, microcrystals have become a valuable commodity rather than a mere stepping stone toward obtaining macroscopic crystals. Microcrystals are particularly useful for structure determination using serial data collection approaches at synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers. The latter's enormous peak brilliance and short X-ray pulse duration mean that structural information can be obtained before the effects of radiation damage are seen; these properties also facilitate time-resolved crystallography. To establish defined reaction initiation conditions, microcrystals with a desired and narrow size distribution are critical. Here, we describe milling and seeding techniques as well as filtration approaches for the reproducible and size-adjustable preparation of homogeneous nano- and microcrystals. Nanocrystals and crystal seeds can be obtained by milling using zirconium beads and the BeadBug homogenizer; fragmentation of large crystals yields micro- or nanocrystals by flowing crystals through stainless steel filters by using an HPLC pump. The approaches can be scaled to generate micro- to milliliter quantities of microcrystals, starting from macroscopic crystals. The procedure typically takes 3-5 d, including the time required to grow the microcrystals.
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15
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Zhao FZ, Wang ZJ, Xiao QJ, Yu L, Sun B, Hou Q, Chen LL, Liang H, Wu H, Guo WH, He JH, Wang QS, Yin DC. Microfluidic rotating-target device capable of three-degrees-of-freedom motion for efficient in situ serial synchrotron crystallography. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2023; 30:347-358. [PMID: 36891848 PMCID: PMC10000801 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577523000462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
There is an increasing demand for simple and efficient sample delivery technology to match the rapid development of serial crystallography and its wide application in analyzing the structural dynamics of biological macromolecules. Here, a microfluidic rotating-target device is presented, capable of three-degrees-of-freedom motion, including two rotational degrees of freedom and one translational degree of freedom, for sample delivery. Lysozyme crystals were used as a test model with this device to collect serial synchrotron crystallography data and the device was found to be convenient and useful. This device enables in situ diffraction from crystals in a microfluidic channel without the need for crystal harvesting. The circular motion ensures that the delivery speed can be adjusted over a wide range, showing its good compatibility with different light sources. Moreover, the three-degrees-of-freedom motion guarantees the full utilization of crystals. Hence, sample consumption is greatly reduced, and only 0.1 mg of protein is consumed in collecting a complete dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Zhu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, People’s Republic of China
- School of NCO, Army Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050081, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Jun Wang
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qing-Jie Xiao
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Yu
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo Sun
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qian Hou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Liang-Liang Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huan Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hai Wu
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei-Hong Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian-Hua He
- The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qi-Sheng Wang
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, People’s Republic of China
| | - Da-Chuan Yin
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, People’s Republic of China
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16
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Mehrabi P, Schulz EC. Sample Preparation for Time-Resolved Serial Crystallography: Practical Considerations. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2652:361-379. [PMID: 37093487 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3147-8_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Time-resolved serial crystallography is an emerging method to elucidate the structure-function relationship of biomolecular systems at up to atomic resolution. However, to make this demanding method a success, a number of experimental requirements have to be met. In this chapter, we summarize general guidelines and protocols towards performing time-resolved crystallography experiments, with a particular emphasis on sample requirements and preparation but also a brief excursion into reaction initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedram Mehrabi
- Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Eike C Schulz
- Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg, Germany.
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
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17
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Thorne RE. Determining biomolecular structures near room temperature using X-ray crystallography: concepts, methods and future optimization. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2023; 79:78-94. [PMID: 36601809 PMCID: PMC9815097 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798322011652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E. Thorne
- Physics Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- MiTeGen LLC, PO Box 3867, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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18
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Sonker M, Doppler D, Egatz-Gomez A, Zaare S, Rabbani MT, Manna A, Cruz Villarreal J, Nelson G, Ketawala GK, Karpos K, Alvarez RC, Nazari R, Thifault D, Jernigan R, Oberthür D, Han H, Sierra R, Hunter MS, Batyuk A, Kupitz CJ, Sublett RE, Poitevin F, Lisova S, Mariani V, Tolstikova A, Boutet S, Messerschmidt M, Meza-Aguilar JD, Fromme R, Martin-Garcia JM, Botha S, Fromme P, Grant TD, Kirian RA, Ros A. Electrically stimulated droplet injector for reduced sample consumption in serial crystallography. BIOPHYSICAL REPORTS 2022; 2:100081. [PMID: 36425668 PMCID: PMC9680787 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpr.2022.100081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
With advances in X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) has enabled the static and dynamic structure determination for challenging proteins such as membrane protein complexes. In SFX with XFELs, the crystals are typically destroyed after interacting with a single XFEL pulse. Therefore, thousands of new crystals must be sequentially introduced into the X-ray beam to collect full data sets. Because of the serial nature of any SFX experiment, up to 99% of the sample delivered to the X-ray beam during its "off-time" between X-ray pulses is wasted due to the intrinsic pulsed nature of all current XFELs. To solve this major problem of large and often limiting sample consumption, we report on improvements of a revolutionary sample-saving method that is compatible with all current XFELs. We previously reported 3D-printed injection devices coupled with gas dynamic virtual nozzles (GDVNs) capable of generating samples containing droplets segmented by an immiscible oil phase for jetting crystal-laden droplets into the path of an XFEL. Here, we have further improved the device design by including metal electrodes inducing electrowetting effects for improved control over droplet generation frequency to stimulate the droplet release to matching the XFEL repetition rate by employing an electrical feedback mechanism. We report the improvements in this electrically triggered segmented flow approach for sample conservation in comparison with a continuous GDVN injection using the microcrystals of lysozyme and 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate synthase and report the segmented flow approach for sample injection applied at the Macromolecular Femtosecond Crystallography instrument at the Linear Coherent Light Source for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukul Sonker
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Diandra Doppler
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Ana Egatz-Gomez
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Sahba Zaare
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Mohammad T. Rabbani
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Abhik Manna
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Jorvani Cruz Villarreal
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Garrett Nelson
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Gihan K. Ketawala
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Konstantinos Karpos
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Roberto C. Alvarez
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Reza Nazari
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Darren Thifault
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Rebecca Jernigan
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Dominik Oberthür
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Raymond Sierra
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Mark S. Hunter
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Alexander Batyuk
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Christopher J. Kupitz
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Robert E. Sublett
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Frederic Poitevin
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Stella Lisova
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Valerio Mariani
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Alexandra Tolstikova
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastien Boutet
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California
| | - Marc Messerschmidt
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - J. Domingo Meza-Aguilar
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Raimund Fromme
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Jose M. Martin-Garcia
- Institute Physical-Chemistry Rocasolano, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sabine Botha
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Petra Fromme
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Thomas D. Grant
- Department of Structural Biology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, SUNY University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Richard A. Kirian
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Alexandra Ros
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
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19
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Worrall JAR, Hough MA. Serial femtosecond crystallography approaches to understanding catalysis in iron enzymes. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 77:102486. [PMID: 36274419 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Enzymes with iron-containing active sites play crucial roles in catalysing a myriad of oxidative reactions essential to aerobic life. Defining the three-dimensional structures of iron enzymes in resting, oxy-bound intermediate and substrate-bound states is particularly challenging, not least because of the extreme susceptibility of the Fe(III) and Fe(IV) redox states to radiation-induced chemistry caused by intense X-ray or electron beams. The availability of novel sources such as X-ray free electron lasers has enabled structures that are effectively free of the effects of radiation-induced chemistry and allows time-resolved structures to be determined. Important to both applications is the ability to obtain in crystallo spectroscopic data to identify the redox state of the iron in any particular structure or timepoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A R Worrall
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Michael A Hough
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK; Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK.
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20
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Zielinski KA, Prester A, Andaleeb H, Bui S, Yefanov O, Catapano L, Henkel A, Wiedorn MO, Lorbeer O, Crosas E, Meyer J, Mariani V, Domaracky M, White TA, Fleckenstein H, Sarrou I, Werner N, Betzel C, Rohde H, Aepfelbacher M, Chapman HN, Perbandt M, Steiner RA, Oberthuer D. Rapid and efficient room-temperature serial synchrotron crystallography using the CFEL TapeDrive. IUCRJ 2022; 9:778-791. [PMID: 36381150 PMCID: PMC9634612 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252522010193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Serial crystallography at conventional synchrotron light sources (SSX) offers the possibility to routinely collect data at room temperature using micrometre-sized crystals of biological macromolecules. However, SSX data collection is not yet as routine and currently takes significantly longer than the standard rotation series cryo-crystallography. Thus, its use for high-throughput approaches, such as fragment-based drug screening, where the possibility to measure at physio-logical temperatures would be a great benefit, is impaired. On the way to high-throughput SSX using a conveyor belt based sample delivery system - the CFEL TapeDrive - with three different proteins of biological relevance (Klebsiella pneumoniae CTX-M-14 β-lactamase, Nectria haematococca xylanase GH11 and Aspergillus flavus urate oxidase), it is shown here that complete datasets can be collected in less than a minute and only minimal amounts of sample are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara A Zielinski
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Prester
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hina Andaleeb
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Soi Bui
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
| | - Oleksandr Yefanov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lucrezia Catapano
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Henkel
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Max O. Wiedorn
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Olga Lorbeer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eva Crosas
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Meyer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Valerio Mariani
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Domaracky
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas A. White
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Fleckenstein
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Iosifina Sarrou
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Werner
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Betzel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Rohde
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Aepfelbacher
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henry N. Chapman
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Perbandt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Roberto A. Steiner
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Dominik Oberthuer
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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21
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Barends TR, Stauch B, Cherezov V, Schlichting I. Serial femtosecond crystallography. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2022; 2:59. [PMID: 36643971 PMCID: PMC9833121 DOI: 10.1038/s43586-022-00141-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs), new, high-throughput serial crystallography techniques for macromolecular structure determination have emerged. Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) and related methods provide possibilities beyond canonical, single-crystal rotation crystallography by mitigating radiation damage and allowing time-resolved studies with unprecedented temporal resolution. This primer aims to assist structural biology groups with little or no experience in serial crystallography planning and carrying out a successful SFX experiment. It discusses the background of serial crystallography and its possibilities. Microcrystal growth and characterization methods are discussed, alongside techniques for sample delivery and data processing. Moreover, it gives practical tips for preparing an experiment, what to consider and do during a beamtime and how to conduct the final data analysis. Finally, the Primer looks at various applications of SFX, including structure determination of membrane proteins, investigation of radiation damage-prone systems and time-resolved studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R.M. Barends
- Department for Biological Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stauch
- Department of Chemistry, The Bridge Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Vadim Cherezov
- Department of Chemistry, The Bridge Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ilme Schlichting
- Department for Biological Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany,
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22
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Abstract
Novel groundbreaking techniques, such as serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX), which utilizes X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), have led to impressive advances in the field of structural biology. However, educating the next generation of scientists on this complex, advanced, and continuously evolving field can be challenging. Gamification has been shown to be an effective strategy for engaging new learners and has a positive influence on knowledge acquisition, student satisfaction, and motivation. Here, we present an educational game, XFEL Crystal Blaster, aimed at increasing middle and high school students’ exposure to advanced topics in crystallography. This simple and accessible game is available on multiple platforms, is intuitive for gamers, and requires no prior knowledge of the game’s content. The assessment of students’ experiences with the game suggests that the XFEL Crystal Blaster game is likely to develop some introductory knowledge of XFELs and X-ray crystallography and increase interest in learning more about X-ray crystallography. Both of these outcomes are key to engaging students in the exploration of emerging scientific fields that are potential career pathways.
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23
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Chaussavoine I, Isabet T, Lener R, Montaville P, Vasireddi R, Chavas LMG. Implementation of wedged-serial protein crystallography at PROXIMA-1. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2022; 29:439-446. [PMID: 35254307 PMCID: PMC8900848 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577521013242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
An approach for serial crystallography experiments based on wedged-data collection is described. This is an alternative method for recording in situ X-ray diffraction data on crystalline samples efficiently loaded in an X-ray compatible microfluidic chip. Proper handling of the microfluidic chip places crystalline samples at geometrically known positions with respect to the focused X-ray interaction area for serial data collection of small wedges. The integration of this strategy takes advantage of the greatly modular sample environment available on the endstation, which allows access to both in situ and more classical cryo-crystallography with minimum time loss. The method represents another optional data collection approach that adds up to the already large set of methods made available to users. Coupled with the advances in processing serial crystallography data, the wedged-data collection strategy proves highly efficient in minimizing the amount of required sample crystals for recording a complete dataset. From the advances in microfluidic technology presented here, high-throughput room-temperature crystallography experiments may become routine and should be easily extended to industrial use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Robin Lener
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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24
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Potential of Time-Resolved Serial Femtosecond Crystallography Using High Repetition Rate XFEL Sources. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12052551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This perspective review describes emerging techniques and future opportunities for time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) experiments using high repetition rate XFEL sources. High repetition rate sources are becoming more available with the European XFEL in operation and the recently upgraded LCLS-II will be available in the near future. One efficient use of these facilities for TR-SFX relies on pump–probe experiments using a laser to trigger a reaction of light-responsive proteins or mix-and-inject experiments for light-unresponsive proteins. With the view to widen the application of TR-SFX, the promising field of photocaged compounds is under development, which allows the very fast laser triggering of reactions that is no longer limited to naturally light-responsive samples. In addition to reaction triggering, a key concern when performing an SFX experiment is efficient sample usage, which is a main focus of new high repetition rate-compatible sample delivery methods.
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25
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Schulz EC, Yorke BA, Pearson AR, Mehrabi P. Best practices for time-resolved serial synchrotron crystallography. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2022; 78:14-29. [PMID: 34981758 PMCID: PMC8725164 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321011621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
With recent developments in X-ray sources, instrumentation and data-analysis tools, time-resolved crystallographic experiments, which were originally the preserve of a few expert groups, are becoming simpler and can be carried out at more radiation sources, and are thus increasingly accessible to a growing user base. However, these experiments are just that: discrete experiments, not just `data collections'. As such, careful planning and consideration of potential pitfalls is required to enable a successful experiment. Here, some of the key factors that should be considered during the planning and execution of a time-resolved structural study are outlined, with a particular focus on synchrotron-based experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eike C. Schulz
- Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, HARBOR, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Briony A. Yorke
- School of Chemistry and Bioscience, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, United Kingdom
| | - Arwen R. Pearson
- Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, HARBOR, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, HARBOR, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pedram Mehrabi
- Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, HARBOR, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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26
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Grünbein ML, Kovacs GN, Kloos M, Gorel A, Doak RB, Shoeman RL, Barends TRM, Schlichting I. Crystallographic Studies of Rhodopsins: Structure and Dynamics. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2501:147-168. [PMID: 35857227 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2329-9_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Crystal structures have provided detailed insight in the architecture of rhodopsin photoreceptors. Of particular interest are the protein-chromophore interactions that govern the light-induced retinal isomerization and ultimately induce the large structural changes important for the various biological functions of the family. The reaction intermediates occurring along the rhodopsin photocycle have vastly differing lifetimes, from hundreds of femtoseconds to milliseconds. Detailed insight at high spatial and temporal resolution can be obtained by time-resolved crystallography using pump-probe approaches at X-ray free-electron lasers. Alternatively, cryotrapping approaches can be used. Both the approaches are described, including illumination and sample delivery. The importance of appropriate photoexcitation avoiding multiphoton absorption is stressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marco Kloos
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexander Gorel
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - R Bruce Doak
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
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27
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Nass Kovacs G. Potential of X-ray free-electron lasers for challenging targets in structure-based drug discovery. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2021; 39:101-110. [PMID: 34906320 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2021.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
X-ray crystallography has provided the vast majority of three-dimensional macromolecular structures. Most of these are high-resolution structures that enable a detailed understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. The standardized workflows and robust infrastructure of synchrotron-based macromolecular crystallography (MX) offer the high throughput essential to cost-conscious investigations in structure- and fragment-based drug discovery. Nonetheless conventional MX is limited by fundamental bottlenecks, in particular X-ray radiation damage, which limits the amount of data extractable from a crystal. While this limit can in principle be circumvented by using larger crystals, crystals of the requisite size often cannot be obtained in sufficient quality. That is especially true for membrane protein crystals, which constitute the majority of current drug targets. This conventional paradigm for MX-suitable samples changed dramatically with the advent of serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) based on the ultra-short and extremely intense X-ray pulses of X-ray Free-Electron Lasers. SFX provides high-resolution structures from tiny crystals and does so with uniquely low levels of radiation damage. This has yielded a number of novel structures for G-protein coupled receptors, one of the most relevant membrane protein superfamilies for drug discovery, as well as tantalizing advances in time-resolved crystallography that elucidate protein dynamics. This article attempts to map the potential of SFX for drug discovery, while providing the reader with an overview of the yet remaining technical challenges associated with such a novel technique as SFX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Nass Kovacs
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstr. 29, Heidelberg 69120, Germany.
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28
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Monteiro DCF, Amoah E, Rogers C, Pearson AR. Using photocaging for fast time-resolved structural biology studies. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:1218-1232. [PMID: 34605426 PMCID: PMC8489231 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321008809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Careful selection of photocaging approaches is critical to achieve fast and well synchronized reaction initiation and perform successful time-resolved structural biology experiments. This review summarizes the best characterized and most relevant photocaging groups previously described in the literature. It also provides a walkthrough of the essential factors to consider in designing a suitable photocaged molecule to address specific biological questions, focusing on photocaging groups with well characterized spectroscopic properties. The relationships between decay rates (k in s-1), quantum yields (ϕ) and molar extinction coefficients (ϵmax in M-1 cm-1) are highlighted for different groups. The effects of the nature of the photocaged group on these properties is also discussed. Four main photocaging scaffolds are presented in detail, o-nitrobenzyls, p-hydroxyphenyls, coumarinyls and nitrodibenzofuranyls, along with three examples of the use of this technology. Furthermore, a subset of specialty photocages are highlighted: photoacids, molecular photoswitches and metal-containing photocages. These extend the range of photocaging approaches by, for example, controlling pH or generating conformationally locked molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C. F. Monteiro
- Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicot Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Emmanuel Amoah
- Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicot Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Cromarte Rogers
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arwen R. Pearson
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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29
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Gorel A, Schlichting I, Barends TRM. Discerning best practices in XFEL-based biological crystallography - standards for nonstandard experiments. IUCRJ 2021; 8:532-543. [PMID: 34258002 PMCID: PMC8256713 DOI: 10.1107/s205225252100467x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) is a novel tool in structural biology. In contrast to conventional crystallography, SFX relies on merging partial intensities acquired with X-ray beams of often randomly fluctuating properties from a very large number of still diffraction images of generally randomly oriented microcrystals. For this reason, and possibly due to limitations of the still evolving data-analysis programs, XFEL-derived SFX data are typically of a lower quality than 'standard' crystallographic data. In contrast with this, the studies performed at XFELs often aim to investigate issues that require precise high-resolution data, for example to determine structures of intermediates at low occupancy, which often display very small conformational changes. This is a potentially dangerous combination and underscores the need for a critical evaluation of procedures including data-quality standards in XFEL-based structural biology. Here, such concerns are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Gorel
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstr. 29, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
| | - Ilme Schlichting
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstr. 29, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
| | - Thomas R. M. Barends
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstr. 29, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
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30
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Norton-Baker B, Mehrabi P, Boger J, Schönherr R, von Stetten D, Schikora H, Kwok AO, Martin RW, Miller RJD, Redecke L, Schulz EC. A simple vapor-diffusion method enables protein crystallization inside the HARE serial crystallography chip. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:820-834. [PMID: 34076595 PMCID: PMC8171066 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321003855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fixed-target serial crystallography has become an important method for the study of protein structure and dynamics at synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers. However, sample homogeneity, consumption and the physical stress on samples remain major challenges for these high-throughput experiments, which depend on high-quality protein microcrystals. The batch crystallization procedures that are typically applied require time- and sample-intensive screening and optimization. Here, a simple protein crystallization method inside the features of the HARE serial crystallography chips is reported that circumvents batch crystallization and allows the direct transfer of canonical vapor-diffusion conditions to in-chip crystallization. Based on conventional hanging-drop vapor-diffusion experiments, the crystallization solution is distributed into the wells of the HARE chip and equilibrated against a reservoir with mother liquor. Using this simple method, high-quality microcrystals were generated with sufficient density for the structure determination of four different proteins. A new protein variant was crystallized using the protein concentrations encountered during canonical crystallization experiments, enabling structure determination from ∼55 µg of protein. Additionally, structure determination from intracellular crystals grown in insect cells cultured directly in the features of the HARE chips is demonstrated. In cellulo crystallization represents a comparatively unexplored space in crystallization, especially for proteins that are resistant to crystallization using conventional techniques, and eliminates any need for laborious protein purification. This in-chip technique avoids harvesting the sensitive crystals or any further physical handling of the crystal-containing cells. These proof-of-principle experiments indicate the potential of this method to become a simple alternative to batch crystallization approaches and also as a convenient extension to canonical crystallization screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna Norton-Baker
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2025, USA
| | - Pedram Mehrabi
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, HARBOR, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Juliane Boger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Robert Schönherr
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - David von Stetten
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Schikora
- Scientific Support Unit Machine Physics, Max-Planck-Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ashley O. Kwok
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2025, USA
| | - Rachel W. Martin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2025, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3900, USA
| | - R. J. Dwayne Miller
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Lars Redecke
- Institute of Biochemistry, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eike C. Schulz
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, HARBOR, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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31
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Protein Dynamics and Time Resolved Protein Crystallography at Synchrotron Radiation Sources: Past, Present and Future. CRYSTALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst11050521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The ultrabright and ultrashort pulses produced at X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) has enabled studies of crystallized molecular machines at work under ‘native’ conditions at room temperature by the so-called time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) technique. Since early TR-SFX experiments were conducted at XFELs, it has been largely reported in the literature that time-resolved X-ray experiments at synchrotrons are no longer feasible or are impractical due to the severe technical limitations of these radiation sources. The transfer of the serial crystallography approach to newest synchrotrons upgraded for higher flux density and with beamlines using sophisticated focusing optics, submicron beam diameters and fast low-noise photon-counting detectors offers a way to overcome these difficulties opening new and exciting possibilities. In fact, there is an increasing amount of publications reporting new findings in structural dynamics of protein macromolecules by using time resolved crystallography from microcrystals at synchrotron sources. This review gathers information to provide an overview of the recent work and the advances made in this filed in the past years, as well as outlines future perspectives at the next generation of synchrotron sources and the upcoming compact pulsed X-ray sources.
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32
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Hejazian M, Balaur E, Abbey B. Recent Advances and Future Perspectives on Microfluidic Mix-and-Jet Sample Delivery Devices. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:531. [PMID: 34067131 PMCID: PMC8151207 DOI: 10.3390/mi12050531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The integration of the Gas Dynamic Virtual Nozzle (GDVN) and microfluidic technologies has proven to be a promising sample delivery solution for biomolecular imaging studies and has the potential to be transformative for a range of applications in physics, biology, and chemistry. Here, we review the recent advances in the emerging field of microfluidic mix-and-jet sample delivery devices for the study of biomolecular reaction dynamics. First, we introduce the key parameters and dimensionless numbers involved in their design and characterisation. Then we critically review the techniques used to fabricate these integrated devices and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. We then summarise the most common experimental methods used for the characterisation of both the mixing and jetting components. Finally, we discuss future perspectives on the emerging field of microfluidic mix-and-jet sample delivery devices. In summary, this review aims to introduce this exciting new topic to the wider microfluidics community and to help guide future research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brian Abbey
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia; (M.H.); (E.B.)
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33
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Poddar H, Heyes DJ, Schirò G, Weik M, Leys D, Scrutton NS. A guide to time-resolved structural analysis of light-activated proteins. FEBS J 2021; 289:576-595. [PMID: 33864718 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Dynamical changes in protein structures are essential for protein function and occur over femtoseconds to seconds timescales. X-ray free electron lasers have facilitated investigations of structural dynamics in proteins with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. Light-activated proteins are attractive targets for time-resolved structural studies, as the reaction chemistry and associated protein structural changes can be triggered by short laser pulses. Proteins with different light-absorbing centres have evolved to detect light and harness photon energy to bring about downstream chemical and biological output responses. Following light absorption, rapid chemical/small-scale structural changes are typically localised around the chromophore. These localised changes are followed by larger structural changes propagated throughout the photoreceptor/photocatalyst that enables the desired chemical and/or biological output response. Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) and solution scattering techniques enable direct visualisation of early chemical change in light-activated proteins on timescales previously inaccessible, whereas scattering gives access to slower timescales associated with more global structural change. Here, we review how advances in time-resolved SFX and solution scattering techniques have uncovered mechanisms of photochemistry and its coupling to output responses. We also provide a prospective on how these time-resolved structural approaches might impact on other photoreceptors/photoenzymes that have not yet been studied by these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshwardhan Poddar
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Derren J Heyes
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Giorgio Schirò
- Institut de Biologie Structurale, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - Martin Weik
- Institut de Biologie Structurale, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - David Leys
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Nigel S Scrutton
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK
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34
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Carrillo M, Pandey S, Sanchez J, Noda M, Poudyal I, Aldama L, Malla TN, Claesson E, Wahlgren WY, Feliz D, Šrajer V, Maj M, Castillon L, Iwata S, Nango E, Tanaka R, Tanaka T, Fangjia L, Tono K, Owada S, Westenhoff S, Stojković EA, Schmidt M. High-resolution crystal structures of transient intermediates in the phytochrome photocycle. Structure 2021; 29:743-754.e4. [PMID: 33756101 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Phytochromes are red/far-red light photoreceptors in bacteria to plants, which elicit a variety of important physiological responses. They display a reversible photocycle between the resting Pr state and the light-activated Pfr state. Light signals are transduced as structural change through the entire protein to modulate its activity. It is unknown how the Pr-to-Pfr interconversion occurs, as the structure of intermediates remains notoriously elusive. Here, we present short-lived crystal structures of the photosensory core modules of the bacteriophytochrome from myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca captured by an X-ray free electron laser 5 ns and 33 ms after light illumination of the Pr state. We observe large structural displacements of the covalently bound bilin chromophore, which trigger a bifurcated signaling pathway that extends through the entire protein. The snapshots show with atomic precision how the signal progresses from the chromophore, explaining how plants, bacteria, and fungi sense red light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Carrillo
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Suraj Pandey
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Juan Sanchez
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Moraima Noda
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Ishwor Poudyal
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Luis Aldama
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Tek Narsingh Malla
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Elin Claesson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Weixiao Yuan Wahlgren
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Denisse Feliz
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Vukica Šrajer
- The University of Chicago, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Bldg 434B, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - Michał Maj
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Leticia Castillon
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - So Iwata
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan; Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Rie Tanaka
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Luo Fangjia
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Kensuke Tono
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan; Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Shigeki Owada
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan; Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Sebastian Westenhoff
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Emina A Stojković
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA.
| | - Marius Schmidt
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.
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Grünbein ML, Gorel A, Foucar L, Carbajo S, Colocho W, Gilevich S, Hartmann E, Hilpert M, Hunter M, Kloos M, Koglin JE, Lane TJ, Lewandowski J, Lutman A, Nass K, Nass Kovacs G, Roome CM, Sheppard J, Shoeman RL, Stricker M, van Driel T, Vetter S, Doak RB, Boutet S, Aquila A, Decker FJ, Barends TRM, Stan CA, Schlichting I. Effect of X-ray free-electron laser-induced shockwaves on haemoglobin microcrystals delivered in a liquid jet. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1672. [PMID: 33723266 PMCID: PMC7960726 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21819-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) enable obtaining novel insights in structural biology. The recently available MHz repetition rate XFELs allow full data sets to be collected in shorter time and can also decrease sample consumption. However, the microsecond spacing of MHz XFEL pulses raises new challenges, including possible sample damage induced by shock waves that are launched by preceding pulses in the sample-carrying jet. We explored this matter with an X-ray-pump/X-ray-probe experiment employing haemoglobin microcrystals transported via a liquid jet into the XFEL beam. Diffraction data were collected using a shock-wave-free single-pulse scheme as well as the dual-pulse pump-probe scheme. The latter, relative to the former, reveals significant degradation of crystal hit rate, diffraction resolution and data quality. Crystal structures extracted from the two data sets also differ. Since our pump-probe attributes were chosen to emulate EuXFEL operation at its 4.5 MHz maximum pulse rate, this prompts concern about such data collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Luise Grünbein
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexander Gorel
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lutz Foucar
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sergio Carbajo
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - William Colocho
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Sasha Gilevich
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Elisabeth Hartmann
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mario Hilpert
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mark Hunter
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Marco Kloos
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany ,grid.434729.f0000 0004 0590 2900Present Address: European XFEL GmbH, Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Jason E. Koglin
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA ,grid.148313.c0000 0004 0428 3079Present Address: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
| | - Thomas J. Lane
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA ,grid.466493.a0000 0004 0390 1787Present Address: Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jim Lewandowski
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Alberto Lutman
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Karol Nass
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany ,grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Present Address: Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Gabriela Nass Kovacs
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christopher M. Roome
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - John Sheppard
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Robert L. Shoeman
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Stricker
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany ,grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Present Address: Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tim van Driel
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Sharon Vetter
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - R. Bruce Doak
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sébastien Boutet
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Andrew Aquila
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Franz Josef Decker
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Thomas R. M. Barends
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Claudiu Andrei Stan
- grid.430387.b0000 0004 1936 8796Department of Physics, Rutgers University Newark, Newark, NJ USA
| | - Ilme Schlichting
- grid.414703.50000 0001 2202 0959Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, Heidelberg, Germany
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Stohrer C, Horrell S, Meier S, Sans M, von Stetten D, Hough M, Goldman A, Monteiro DCF, Pearson AR. Homogeneous batch micro-crystallization of proteins from ammonium sulfate. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:194-204. [PMID: 33559608 PMCID: PMC7869895 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320015454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of X-ray free-electron lasers has led to the development of serial macromolecular crystallography techniques, making it possible to study smaller and more challenging crystal systems and to perform time-resolved studies on fast time scales. For most of these studies the desired crystal size is limited to a few micrometres, and the generation of large amounts of nanocrystals or microcrystals of defined size has become a bottleneck for the wider implementation of these techniques. Despite this, methods to reliably generate microcrystals and fine-tune their size have been poorly explored. Working with three different enzymes, L-aspartate α-decarboxylase, copper nitrite reductase and copper amine oxidase, the precipitating properties of ammonium sulfate were exploited to quickly transition from known vapour-diffusion conditions to reproducible, large-scale batch crystallization, circumventing the tedious determination of phase diagrams. Furthermore, the specific ammonium sulfate concentration was used to fine-tune the crystal size and size distribution. Ammonium sulfate is a common precipitant in protein crystallography, making these findings applicable to many crystallization systems to facilitate the production of large amounts of microcrystals for serial macromolecular crystallography experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Stohrer
- Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Horrell
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Meier
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marta Sans
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - David von Stetten
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Unit c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hough
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Goldman
- Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Diana C. F. Monteiro
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Arwen R. Pearson
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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37
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Han H, Round E, Schubert R, Gül Y, Makroczyová J, Meza D, Heuser P, Aepfelbacher M, Barák I, Betzel C, Fromme P, Kursula I, Nissen P, Tereschenko E, Schulz J, Uetrecht C, Ulicný J, Wilmanns M, Hajdu J, Lamzin VS, Lorenzen K. The XBI BioLab for life science experiments at the European XFEL. J Appl Crystallogr 2021; 54:7-21. [PMID: 33833637 PMCID: PMC7941304 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576720013989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The science of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) critically depends on the performance of the X-ray laser and on the quality of the samples placed into the X-ray beam. The stability of biological samples is limited and key biomolecular transformations occur on short timescales. Experiments in biology require a support laboratory in the immediate vicinity of the beamlines. The XBI BioLab of the European XFEL (XBI denotes XFEL Biology Infrastructure) is an integrated user facility connected to the beamlines for supporting a wide range of biological experiments. The laboratory was financed and built by a collaboration between the European XFEL and the XBI User Consortium, whose members come from Finland, Germany, the Slovak Republic, Sweden and the USA, with observers from Denmark and the Russian Federation. Arranged around a central wet laboratory, the XBI BioLab provides facilities for sample preparation and scoring, laboratories for growing prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, a Bio Safety Level 2 laboratory, sample purification and characterization facilities, a crystallization laboratory, an anaerobic laboratory, an aerosol laboratory, a vacuum laboratory for injector tests, and laboratories for optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy. Here, an overview of the XBI facility is given and some of the results of the first user experiments are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijong Han
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
- Biocenter Oulu and Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Aapistie 7, 90220 Oulu, Finland
| | - Ekaterina Round
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robin Schubert
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestrasse 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yasmin Gül
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jana Makroczyová
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 21, 845 51 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Domingo Meza
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Philipp Heuser
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Aepfelbacher
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Imrich Barák
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 21, 845 51 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Christian Betzel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestrasse 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Petra Fromme
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Inari Kursula
- Biocenter Oulu and Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Aapistie 7, 90220 Oulu, Finland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - Poul Nissen
- DANDRITE, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK – 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Elena Tereschenko
- Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 59 Leninsky prospekt, Moscow, 117333, Russian Federation
| | - Joachim Schulz
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Charlotte Uetrecht
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jozef Ulicný
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Matthias Wilmanns
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janos Hajdu
- The European Extreme Light Infrastructure, Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Za Radnici 835, 25241 Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3 (Box 596), SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Victor S. Lamzin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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Abstract
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.
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39
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Dynamic Structural Biology Experiments at XFEL or Synchrotron Sources. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2305:203-228. [PMID: 33950392 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1406-8_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Macromolecular crystallography (MX) leverages the methods of physics and the language of chemistry to reveal fundamental insights into biology. Often beautifully artistic images present MX results to support profound functional hypotheses that are vital to entire life science research community. Over the past several decades, synchrotrons around the world have been the workhorses for X-ray diffraction data collection at many highly automated beamlines. The newest tools include X-ray-free electron lasers (XFELs) located at facilities in the USA, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, and Germany that deliver about nine orders of magnitude higher brightness in discrete femtosecond long pulses. At each of these facilities, new serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) strategies exploit slurries of micron-size crystals by rapidly delivering individual crystals into the XFEL X-ray interaction region, from which one diffraction pattern is collected per crystal before it is destroyed by the intense X-ray pulse. Relatively simple adaptions to SFX methods produce time-resolved data collection strategies wherein reactions are triggered by visible light illumination or by chemical diffusion/mixing. Thus, XFELs provide new opportunities for high temporal and spatial resolution studies of systems engaged in function at physiological temperature. In this chapter, we summarize various issues related to microcrystal slurry preparation, sample delivery into the X-ray interaction region, and some emerging strategies for time-resolved SFX data collection.
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40
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Membrane protein crystallography in the era of modern structural biology. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:2505-2524. [DOI: 10.1042/bst20200066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of structural biology has been always the study of biological macromolecules structures and their mechanistic behaviour at molecular level. To achieve its goal, multiple biophysical methods and approaches have become part of the structural biology toolbox. Considered as one of the pillars of structural biology, X-ray crystallography has been the most successful method for solving three-dimensional protein structures at atomic level to date. It is however limited by the success in obtaining well-ordered protein crystals that diffract at high resolution. This is especially true for challenging targets such as membrane proteins (MPs). Understanding structure-function relationships of MPs at the biochemical level is vital for medicine and drug discovery as they play critical roles in many cellular processes. Though difficult, structure determination of MPs by X-ray crystallography has significantly improved in the last two decades, mainly due to many relevant technological and methodological developments. Today, numerous MP crystal structures have been solved, revealing many of their mechanisms of action. Yet the field of structural biology has also been through significant technological breakthroughs in recent years, particularly in the fields of single particle electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). Here we summarise the most important advancements in the field of MP crystallography and the significance of these developments in the present era of modern structural biology.
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41
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Ren Z, Wang C, Shin H, Bandara S, Kumarapperuma I, Ren MY, Kang W, Yang X. An automated platform for in situ serial crystallography at room temperature. IUCRJ 2020; 7:1009-1018. [PMID: 33209315 PMCID: PMC7642789 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252520011288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Direct observation of functional motions in protein structures is highly desirable for understanding how these nanomachineries of life operate at the molecular level. Because cryogenic temperatures are non-physiological and may prohibit or even alter protein structural dynamics, it is necessary to develop robust X-ray diffraction methods that enable routine data collection at room temperature. We recently reported a crystal-on-crystal device to facilitate in situ diffraction of protein crystals at room temperature devoid of any sample manipulation. Here an automated serial crystallography platform based on this crystal-on-crystal technology is presented. A hardware and software prototype has been implemented, and protocols have been established that allow users to image, recognize and rank hundreds to thousands of protein crystals grown on a chip in optical scanning mode prior to serial introduction of these crystals to an X-ray beam in a programmable and high-throughput manner. This platform has been tested extensively using fragile protein crystals. We demonstrate that with affordable sample consumption, this in situ serial crystallography technology could give rise to room-temperature protein structures of higher resolution and superior map quality for those protein crystals that encounter difficulties during freezing. This serial data collection platform is compatible with both monochromatic oscillation and Laue methods for X-ray diffraction and presents a widely applicable approach for static and dynamic crystallographic studies at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Ren
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
- Renz Research, Inc., Westmont, IL 60559, USA
| | - Cong Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Heewhan Shin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Sepalika Bandara
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Indika Kumarapperuma
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Michael Y. Ren
- A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Weijia Kang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Xiaojing Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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42
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Nass K. Pixel modelling - a new age in SFX data analysis. IUCRJ 2020; 7:949-950. [PMID: 33209307 PMCID: PMC7642796 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252520014281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A new program, diffBragg, employs per-pixel maximum likelihood optimization of X-ray pulse and crystal parameters to improve the accuracy of structure factor amplitudes attainable in SFX experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karol Nass
- SwissFEL, Paul Scherrer Institut, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
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43
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Zhao FZ, Sun B, Yu L, Xiao QJ, Wang ZJ, Chen LL, Liang H, Wang QS, He JH, Yin DC. A novel sample delivery system based on circular motion for in situ serial synchrotron crystallography. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:3888-3898. [PMID: 32966481 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00443j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A sample delivery system is one of the key parts of serial crystallography. It is the main limiting factor affecting the application of serial crystallography. At present, although a variety of useful sample delivery systems have been developed for serial crystallography, it still remains the focus of the field to further improve the performance and efficiency of sample delivery. In existing sample delivery technologies, samples are usually delivered in linear motion. Here we show that the samples can also be delivered using circular motion, which is a novel motion mode never tested before. In this paper, we report a microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device, which is characterized by the circular motion of the samples, and verify the performance of the device at a synchrotron radiation facility. The microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device consists of two parts: a microfluidic sample plate and a motion control system. Sample delivery is realized by rotating the microfluidic sample plate containing in situ grown crystals. This device offers significant advantages, including a very wide adjustable range of delivery speed, low background noise, and low sample consumption. Using the microfluidic rotating-target device, we carried out in situ serial crystallography experiments with lysozyme and proteinase K as model samples at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and performed structural determination based on the serial crystallographic data. The results showed that the designed device is fully compatible with the synchrotron radiation facility, and the structure determination of proteins is successful using the serial crystallographic data obtained with the device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Zhu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Bo Sun
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Yu
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| | - Qing-Jie Xiao
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Wang
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang-Liang Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Huan Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Qi-Sheng Wang
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Hua He
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. and The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Da-Chuan Yin
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China. and Shenzhen Research Institute, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Shenzhen, China
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44
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Abstract
Radiation damage and cryogenic sample environment are an experimental limitation observed in the traditional X-ray crystallography technique. However, the serial crystallography (SX) technique not only helps to determine structures at room temperature with minimal radiation damage, but it is also a useful tool for profound understanding of macromolecules. Moreover, it is a new tool for time-resolved studies. Over the past 10 years, various sample delivery techniques and data collection strategies have been developed in the SX field. It also has a wide range of applications in instruments ranging from the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facility to synchrotrons. The importance of the various approaches in terms of the experimental techniques and a brief review of the research carried out in the field of SX has been highlighted in this editorial.
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45
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Lawrence JM, Orlans J, Evans G, Orville AM, Foadi J, Aller P. High-throughput in situ experimental phasing. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2020; 76:790-801. [PMID: 32744261 PMCID: PMC7397491 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320009109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article, a new approach to experimental phasing for macromolecular crystallography (MX) at synchrotrons is introduced and described for the first time. It makes use of automated robotics applied to a multi-crystal framework in which human intervention is reduced to a minimum. Hundreds of samples are automatically soaked in heavy-atom solutions, using a Labcyte Inc. Echo 550 Liquid Handler, in a highly controlled and optimized fashion in order to generate derivatized and isomorphous crystals. Partial data sets obtained on MX beamlines using an in situ setup for data collection are processed with the aim of producing good-quality anomalous signal leading to successful experimental phasing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Lawrence
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Julien Orlans
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- UMR0203, Biologie Fonctionnelle, Insectes et Interactions (BF2i); Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon); Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), University of Lyon (Univ Lyon), F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gwyndaf Evans
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Allen M. Orville
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - James Foadi
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Aller
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
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46
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Lee K, Lee D, Baek S, Park J, Lee SJ, Park S, Chung WK, Lee JL, Cho HS, Cho Y, Nam KH. Viscous-medium-based crystal support in a sample holder for fixed-target serial femtosecond crystallography. J Appl Crystallogr 2020. [DOI: 10.1107/s1600576720008663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) enables the determination of the room-temperature crystal structure of macromolecules, as well as providing time-resolved molecular dynamics data in pump–probe experiments. Fixed-target SFX (FT-SFX) can minimize sample consumption and physical effects on crystals during sample delivery. In FT-SFX studies, having a sample holder that can stably fix crystal samples is one of the key elements required for efficient data collection. Hence, development of sample holders from new materials capable of supporting various crystal sizes and shapes may expand the applications of FT-SFX. Here, a viscous-media-based crystal support in a sample holder for FT-SFX is introduced. Crystal samples were embedded in viscous media, namely gelatin and agarose, which were enclosed in a polyimide film. In the vertically placed sample holder, 10–15%(w/v) viscous gelatin and 1–4%(w/v) agarose gel stably supported crystals between two polyimide films, thereby preventing the crystals from descending owing to gravity. Using this method, FT-SFX experiments were performed with glucose isomerase and lysozyme embedded in gelatin and agarose, respectively. The room-temperature crystal structures of glucose isomerase and lysozyme were successfully determined at 1.75 and 1.80 Å resolutions, respectively. The glucose isomerase and lysozyme diffraction analyses were not impeded by excessive background scattering from the viscous media. This method is useful for delivering crystal samples of various sizes and shapes in FT-SFX experiments.
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47
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EM-detwin: A Program for Resolving Indexing Ambiguity in Serial Crystallography Using the Expectation-Maximization Algorithm. CRYSTALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst10070588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Serial crystallography (SX), first used as an application of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), is becoming a useful method to determine atomic-resolution structures of proteins from micrometer-sized crystals with bright X-ray sources. Because of unknown orientations of crystals in SX, indexing ambiguity issue arises when the symmetry of Bravais lattice is higher than the space group symmetry, making some diffraction signals wrongly merged to the total intensity in twinned orientations. In this research, we developed a program within the CrystFEL framework, the EM-detwin, to resolve this indexing ambiguity problem based on the expectation-maximization algorithm. Testing results on the performance of the EM-detwin have demonstrated its usefulness in correctly indexing diffraction data as a valuable tool for SX data analysis.
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48
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Aumonier S, Santoni G, Gotthard G, von Stetten D, Leonard GA, Royant A. Millisecond time-resolved serial oscillation crystallography of a blue-light photoreceptor at a synchrotron. IUCRJ 2020; 7:728-736. [PMID: 32695419 PMCID: PMC7340269 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252520007411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The recent development of serial crystallography has popularized time-resolved crystallography as a technique to determine the structure of protein-reaction intermediate states. However, most approaches rely on the availability of thousands to millions of microcrystals. A method is reported here, using monochromatic synchrotron radiation, for the room-temperature collection, processing and merging of X-ray oscillation diffraction data from <100 samples in order to observe the build up of a photoreaction intermediate species. Using this method, we monitored with a time resolution of 63 ms how the population of a blue-light photoreceptor domain in a crystal progressively photoconverts from the dark to the light state. The series of resulting snapshots allows us to visualize in detail the gradual rearrangement of both the protein and chromophore during this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Aumonier
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38043, France
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38044, France
| | - Gianluca Santoni
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38043, France
| | - Guillaume Gotthard
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38043, France
| | - David von Stetten
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38043, France
| | - Gordon A. Leonard
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38043, France
| | - Antoine Royant
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38043, France
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38044, France
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49
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Weinert T, Skopintsev P, James D, Dworkowski F, Panepucci E, Kekilli D, Furrer A, Brünle S, Mous S, Ozerov D, Nogly P, Wang M, Standfuss J. Proton uptake mechanism in bacteriorhodopsin captured by serial synchrotron crystallography. Science 2020; 365:61-65. [PMID: 31273117 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw8634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Conformational dynamics are essential for proteins to function. We adapted time-resolved serial crystallography developed at x-ray lasers to visualize protein motions using synchrotrons. We recorded the structural changes in the light-driven proton-pump bacteriorhodopsin over 200 milliseconds in time. The snapshot from the first 5 milliseconds after photoactivation shows structural changes associated with proton release at a quality comparable to that of previous x-ray laser experiments. From 10 to 15 milliseconds onwards, we observe large additional structural rearrangements up to 9 angstroms on the cytoplasmic side. Rotation of leucine-93 and phenylalanine-219 opens a hydrophobic barrier, leading to the formation of a water chain connecting the intracellular aspartic acid-96 with the retinal Schiff base. The formation of this proton wire recharges the membrane pump with a proton for the next cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Weinert
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
| | - Petr Skopintsev
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Daniel James
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Florian Dworkowski
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Ezequiel Panepucci
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Demet Kekilli
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Antonia Furrer
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Steffen Brünle
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Mous
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dmitry Ozerov
- Science IT, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Przemyslaw Nogly
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Meitian Wang
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Standfuss
- Division of Biology and Chemistry-Laboratory for Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
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50
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Abstract
The advent of the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) in the last decade created the discipline of serial crystallography but also the challenge of how crystal samples are delivered to X-ray. Early sample delivery methods demonstrated the proof-of-concept for serial crystallography and XFEL but were beset with challenges of high sample consumption, jet clogging and low data collection efficiency. The potential of XFEL and serial crystallography as the next frontier of structural solution by X-ray for small and weakly diffracting crystals and provision of ultra-fast time-resolved structural data spawned a huge amount of scientific interest and innovation. To utilize the full potential of XFEL and broaden its applicability to a larger variety of biological samples, researchers are challenged to develop better sample delivery methods. Thus, sample delivery is one of the key areas of research and development in the serial crystallography scientific community. Sample delivery currently falls into three main systems: jet-based methods, fixed-target chips, and drop-on-demand. Huge strides have since been made in reducing sample consumption and improving data collection efficiency, thus enabling the use of XFEL for many biological systems to provide high-resolution, radiation damage-free structural data as well as time-resolved dynamics studies. This review summarizes the current main strategies in sample delivery and their respective pros and cons, as well as some future direction.
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