scholarly journals Reconstructing three-dimensional shape envelopes from time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering data

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1046-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lamb ◽  
Lisa Kwok ◽  
Xiangyun Qiu ◽  
Kurt Andresen ◽  
Hye Yoon Park ◽  
...  

Modern computing power has made it possible to reconstruct low-resolution, three-dimensional shapes from solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data on biomolecules withouta prioriknowledge of the structure. In conjunction with rapid mixing techniques, SAXS has been applied to time resolve conformational changes accompanying important biological processes, such as biomolecular folding. In response to the widespread interest in SAXS reconstructions, their value in conjunction with such time-resolved data has been examined. The group I intron fromTetrahymena thermophilaand its P4–P6 subdomain are ideal model systems for investigation owing to extensive previous studies, including crystal structures. The goal of this paper is to assay the quality of reconstructions from time-resolved data given the sacrifice in signal-to-noise required to obtain sharp time resolution.

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 810-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hofmann ◽  
Andrew E. Whitten

Small-angle X-ray scattering has established itself as a common technique in structural biology research. Here, two novel Java applications to aid modelling of three-dimensional macromolecular structures based on small-angle scattering data are described.MolScatis an application that computes small-angle scattering intensities from user-provided three-dimensional models. The program can fit the theoretical scattering intensities to experimental X-ray scattering data.SAFIRis a program for interactive rigid-body modelling into low-resolution shapes restored from small-angle scattering data. The program has been designed with an emphasis on ease of use and intuitive handling. An embedded version ofMolScatis used to enable quick evaluation of the fit between the model and experimental scattering data.SAFIRalso provides options to refine macromolecular complexes with optional user-specified restraints against scattering data by means of a Monte Carlo approach.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (75) ◽  
pp. 2563-2580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinodkumar Saranathan ◽  
Jason D. Forster ◽  
Heeso Noh ◽  
Seng-Fatt Liew ◽  
Simon G. J. Mochrie ◽  
...  

Non-iridescent structural colours of feathers are a diverse and an important part of the phenotype of many birds. These colours are generally produced by three-dimensional, amorphous (or quasi-ordered) spongy β-keratin and air nanostructures found in the medullary cells of feather barbs. Two main classes of three-dimensional barb nanostructures are known, characterized by a tortuous network of air channels or a close packing of spheroidal air cavities. Using synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and optical spectrophotometry, we characterized the nanostructure and optical function of 297 distinctly coloured feathers from 230 species belonging to 163 genera in 51 avian families. The SAXS data provided quantitative diagnoses of the channel- and sphere-type nanostructures, and confirmed the presence of a predominant, isotropic length scale of variation in refractive index that produces strong reinforcement of a narrow band of scattered wavelengths. The SAXS structural data identified a new class of rudimentary or weakly nanostructured feathers responsible for slate-grey, and blue-grey structural colours . SAXS structural data provided good predictions of the single-scattering peak of the optical reflectance of the feathers. The SAXS structural measurements of channel- and sphere-type nanostructures are also similar to experimental scattering data from synthetic soft matter systems that self-assemble by phase separation. These results further support the hypothesis that colour-producing protein and air nanostructures in feather barbs are probably self-assembled by arrested phase separation of polymerizing β-keratin from the cytoplasm of medullary cells. Such avian amorphous photonic nanostructures with isotropic optical properties may provide biomimetic inspiration for photonic technology.


2002 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Vad ◽  
H.-G. Haubold ◽  
N. Waldöfner ◽  
H. Bönnemann

Anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) experiments with synchrotron radiation were performed to study the three-dimensional nanostructures of metal/organic hybrids formed by crosslinking aluminium-organic-stabilized platinum nanoparticles with various bifunctional organic spacer molecules. The advantage of ASAXS is the possibility of separating the particle scattering from that of the organic components, thus providing unbiased information about particle size distributions and interparticle correlation. In order to obtain the structural information from the scattering data, a model function based on Vrij's analytical solution for a multicomponent system of hard spheres is proposed. The model is applied to three different samples and the results are compared with those obtained from the application of Fourier methods (characteristic function) and X-ray absorption measurements.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Wu ◽  
Jeffrey Ting ◽  
Siqi Meng ◽  
Matthew Tirrell

We have directly observed the <i>in situ</i> self-assembly kinetics of polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) micelles by synchrotron time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, equipped with a stopped-flow device that provides millisecond temporal resolution. This work has elucidated one general kinetic pathway for the process of PEC micelle formation, which provides useful physical insights for increasing our fundamental understanding of complexation and self-assembly dynamics driven by electrostatic interactions that occur on ultrafast timescales.


2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Varga ◽  
András Wacha ◽  
Attila Bóta

Time-resolved synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to study the structural changes during the osmotic shrinkage of a pharmacologically relevant liposomal drug delivery system. Sterically stabilized liposomes (SSLs) with a diameter of 100 nm and composed of hydrogenated soy phosphocholine, cholesterol and distearoyl-phosphoethanolamine-PEG 2000 prepared in a salt-free buffer were mixed with a buffered 0.3 MNaCl solution using a stopped flow apparatus. The changes in the liposome size and the bilayer structure were followed by using SAXS with a time resolution of 20 ms. A linear decrease in liposome size is observed during the first ∼4 s of the osmotic shrinkage, which reveals a water permeability value of 0.215 (15) µm s−1. The change in the size of the liposomes upon the osmotic shrinkage is also confirmed by dynamic light scattering. After this initial step, broad correlation peaks appear on the SAXS curves in theqrange of the bilayer form factor, which indicates the formation of bi- or oligolamellar structures. Freeze-fracture combined with transmission electron microscopy revealed that lens-shaped liposomes are formed during the shrinkage, which account for the appearance of the quasi-Bragg peaks superimposed on the bilayer form factor. On the basis of these observations, it is proposed that the osmotic shrinkage of SSLs is a two-step process: in the initial step, the liposome shrinks in size, while the area/lipid adapts to the decreased surface area, which is then followed by the deformation of the spherical liposomes into lens-shaped vesicles.


Polymer ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 42 (21) ◽  
pp. 8965-8973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Gang Wang ◽  
Xuehui Wang ◽  
Benjamin S. Hsiao ◽  
Saša Andjelić ◽  
Dennis Jamiolkowski ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. Levine ◽  
G. G. Long

A new transmission X-ray imaging technique using ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) as a contrast mechanism is described. USAXS imaging can sometimes provide contrast in cases where radiography and phase-contrast imaging are unsuccessful. Images produced at different scattering vectors highlight different microstructural features within the same sample volume. When used in conjunction with USAXS scans, USAXS imaging provides substantial quantitative and qualitative three-dimensional information on the sizes, shapes and spatial arrangements of the scattering objects. The imaging technique is demonstrated on metal and biological samples.


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