scholarly journals Structure Solution of Nano-Crystalline Small Molecules Using MicroED and Solid-State NMR Dipolar-Based Experiments

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4652
Author(s):  
Nghia Tuan Duong ◽  
Yoshitaka Aoyama ◽  
Katsumi Kawamoto ◽  
Toshio Yamazaki ◽  
Yusuke Nishiyama

Three-dimensional electron diffraction crystallography (microED) can solve structures of sub-micrometer crystals, which are too small for single crystal X-ray crystallography. However, R factors for the microED-based structures are generally high because of dynamic scattering. That means R factor may not be reliable provided that kinetic analysis is used. Consequently, there remains ambiguity to locate hydrogens and to assign nuclei with close atomic numbers, like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Herein, we employed microED and ssNMR dipolar-based experiments together with spin dynamics numerical simulations. The NMR dipolar-based experiments were 1H-14N phase-modulated rotational-echo saturation-pulse double-resonance (PM-S-RESPDOR) and 1H-1H selective recoupling of proton (SERP) experiments. The former examined the dephasing effect of a specific 1H resonance under multiple 1H-14N dipolar couplings. The latter examined the selective polarization transfer between a 1H-1H pair. The structure was solved by microED and then validated by evaluating the agreement between experimental and calculated dipolar-based NMR results. As the measurements were performed on 1H and 14N, the method can be employed for natural abundance samples. Furthermore, the whole validation procedure was conducted at 293 K unlike widely used chemical shift calculation at 0 K using the GIPAW method. This combined method was demonstrated on monoclinic l-histidine.

2010 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Adams ◽  
Pavel V. Afonine ◽  
Gábor Bunkóczi ◽  
Vincent B. Chen ◽  
Ian W. Davis ◽  
...  

Macromolecular X-ray crystallography is routinely applied to understand biological processes at a molecular level. However, significant time and effort are still required to solve and complete many of these structures because of the need for manual interpretation of complex numerical data using many software packages and the repeated use of interactive three-dimensional graphics.PHENIXhas been developed to provide a comprehensive system for macromolecular crystallographic structure solution with an emphasis on the automation of all procedures. This has relied on the development of algorithms that minimize or eliminate subjective input, the development of algorithms that automate procedures that are traditionally performed by hand and, finally, the development of a framework that allows a tight integration between the algorithms.


Author(s):  
S. Cusack ◽  
J.-C. Jésior

Three-dimensional reconstruction techniques using electron microscopy have been principally developed for application to 2-D arrays (i.e. monolayers) of biological molecules and symmetrical single particles (e.g. helical viruses). However many biological molecules that crystallise form multilayered microcrystals which are unsuitable for study by either the standard methods of 3-D reconstruction or, because of their size, by X-ray crystallography. The grid sectioning technique enables a number of different projections of such microcrystals to be obtained in well defined directions (e.g. parallel to crystal axes) and poses the problem of how best these projections can be used to reconstruct the packing and shape of the molecules forming the microcrystal.Given sufficient projections there may be enough information to do a crystallographic reconstruction in Fourier space. We however have considered the situation where only a limited number of projections are available, as for example in the case of catalase platelets where three orthogonal and two diagonal projections have been obtained (Fig. 1).


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
Raquel Álvarez-Vidaurre ◽  
Alfonso Castiñeiras ◽  
Antonio Frontera ◽  
Isabel García-Santos ◽  
Diego M. Gil ◽  
...  

This work deals with the preparation of pyridine-3-carbohydrazide (isoniazid, inh) cocrystals with two α-hydroxycarboxylic acids. The interaction of glycolic acid (H2ga) or d,l-mandelic acid (H2ma) resulted in the formation of cocrystals or salts of composition (inh)·(H2ga) (1) and [Hinh]+[Hma]–·(H2ma) (2) when reacted with isoniazid. An N′-(propan-2-ylidene)isonicotinic hydrazide hemihydrate, (pinh)·1/2(H2O) (3), was also prepared by condensation of isoniazid with acetone in the presence of glycolic acid. These prepared compounds were well characterized by elemental analysis, and spectroscopic methods, and their three-dimensional molecular structure was determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Hydrogen bonds involving the carboxylic acid occur consistently with the pyridine ring N atom of the isoniazid and its derivatives. The remaining hydrogen-bonding sites on the isoniazid backbone vary based on the steric influences of the derivative group. These are contrasted in each of the molecular systems. Finally, Hirshfeld surface analysis and Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations (including NCIplot and QTAIM analyses) have been performed to further characterize and rationalize the non-covalent interactions.


1988 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Kühlbrandt

As recently as 10 years ago, the prospect of solving the structure of any membrane protein by X-ray crystallography seemed remote. Since then, the threedimensional (3-D) structures of two membrane protein complexes, the bacterial photosynthetic reaction centres of Rhodopseudomonas viridis (Deisenhofer et al. 1984, 1985) and of Rhodobacter sphaeroides (Allen et al. 1986, 1987 a, 6; Chang et al. 1986) have been determined at high resolution. This astonishing progress would not have been possible without the pioneering work of Michel and Garavito who first succeeded in growing 3-D crystals of the membrane proteins bacteriorhodopsin (Michel & Oesterhelt, 1980) and matrix porin (Garavito & Rosenbusch, 1980). X-ray crystallography is still the only routine method for determining the 3-D structures of biological macromolecules at high resolution and well-ordered 3-D crystals of sufficient size are the essential prerequisite.


Nanoscale ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoyang Xiong ◽  
Yue Qin ◽  
Linhong Li ◽  
Guoyong Yang ◽  
Maohua Li ◽  
...  

In order to meet the requirement of thermal performance with the rapid development of high-performance electronic devices, constructing a three-dimensional thermal transport skeleton is an effective method for enhancing thermal...


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (636) ◽  
pp. eaaz5599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelan Chen ◽  
Richard W. Birkinshaw ◽  
Alexandra D. Gurzau ◽  
Iromi Wanigasuriya ◽  
Ruoyun Wang ◽  
...  

Structural maintenance of chromosomes flexible hinge domain containing 1 (SMCHD1) is an epigenetic regulator in which polymorphisms cause the human developmental disorder, Bosma arhinia micropthalmia syndrome, and the degenerative disease, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. SMCHD1 is considered a noncanonical SMC family member because its hinge domain is C-terminal, because it homodimerizes rather than heterodimerizes, and because SMCHD1 contains a GHKL-type, rather than an ABC-type ATPase domain at its N terminus. The hinge domain has been previously implicated in chromatin association; however, the underlying mechanism involved and the basis for SMCHD1 homodimerization are unclear. Here, we used x-ray crystallography to solve the three-dimensional structure of the Smchd1 hinge domain. Together with structure-guided mutagenesis, we defined structural features of the hinge domain that participated in homodimerization and nucleic acid binding, and we identified a functional hotspot required for chromatin localization in cells. This structure provides a template for interpreting the mechanism by which patient polymorphisms within the SMCHD1 hinge domain could compromise function and lead to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Hamish Todd ◽  
Paul Emsley

Biological macromolecules have complex three-dimensional shapes that are experimentally examined using X-ray crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy. Interpreting the data that these methods yield involves building 3D atomic models. With almost every data set, some portion of the time put into creating these models must be spent manually modifying the model in order to make it consistent with the data; this is difficult and time-consuming, in part because the data are `blurry' in three dimensions. This paper describes the design and assessment of CootVR (available at http://hamishtodd1.github.io/cvr), a prototype computer program for performing this task in virtual reality, allowing structural biologists to build molecular models into cryo-EM and crystallographic data using their hands. CootVR was timed against Coot for a very specific model-building task, and was found to give an order-of-magnitude speedup for this task. A from-scratch model build using CootVR was also attempted; from this experience it is concluded that currently CootVR does not give a speedup over Coot overall.


2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey K. Feld ◽  
Michael Heymann ◽  
W. Henry Benner ◽  
Tommaso Pardini ◽  
Ching-Ju Tsai ◽  
...  

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) offer a new avenue to the structural probing of complex materials, including biomolecules. Delivery of precious sample to the XFEL beam is a key consideration, as the sample of interest must be serially replaced after each destructive pulse. The fixed-target approach to sample delivery involves depositing samples on a thin-film support and subsequent serial introductionviaa translating stage. Some classes of biological materials, including two-dimensional protein crystals, must be introduced on fixed-target supports, as they require a flat surface to prevent sample wrinkling. A series of wafer and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-style grid supports constructed of low-Zplastic have been custom-designed and produced. Aluminium TEM grid holders were engineered, capable of delivering up to 20 different conventional or plastic TEM grids using fixed-target stages available at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). As proof-of-principle, X-ray diffraction has been demonstrated from two-dimensional crystals of bacteriorhodopsin and three-dimensional crystals of anthrax toxin protective antigen mounted on these supports at the LCLS. The benefits and limitations of these low-Zfixed-target supports are discussed; it is the authors' belief that they represent a viable and efficient alternative to previously reported fixed-target supports for conducting diffraction studies with XFELs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bücker ◽  
Pascal Hogan-Lamarre ◽  
R. J. Dwayne Miller

Serial electron diffraction (SerialED) is an emerging technique, which applies the snapshot data-collection mode of serial X-ray crystallography to three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D Electron Diffraction), forgoing the conventional rotation method. Similarly to serial X-ray crystallography, this approach leads to almost complete absence of radiation damage effects even for the most sensitive samples, and allows for a high level of automation. However, SerialED also necessitates new techniques of data processing, which combine existing pipelines for rotation electron diffraction and serial X-ray crystallography with some more particular solutions for challenges arising in SerialED specifically. Here, we introduce our analysis pipeline for SerialED data, and its implementation using the CrystFEL and diffractem program packages. Detailed examples are provided in extensive supplementary code.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document