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Macromolecular Crystallography Beamlines (macromolecular + crystallography_beamline)
Selected AbstractsMacromolecular crystallography at high pressure with pneumatic diamond anvil cells handled by a six-axis robotic armJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2010Eric Girard A new pneumatic diamond anvil cell has been constructed, generating continuous pressure and temperature variations in the range 0,2.5,GPa and 293,393,K. The cell is designed mainly for high-pressure macromolecular crystallography and should facilitate pressure and temperature annealing of the sample. The analysis is reported of several diffraction data sets of tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals loaded either in the new cell or in a currently used membrane-based cell. These experiments were performed on beamline FIP-BM30A at the ESRF, Grenoble, a macromolecular crystallography beamline on a bending magnet. Cells were handled and automatically centred by a six-axis robotic arm that was used as a goniometer for data collection by the oscillation method. [source] Diffraction-based automated crystal centeringJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 2 2007Jinhu Song A fully automated procedure for detecting and centering protein crystals in the X-ray beam of a macromolecular crystallography beamline has been developed. A cryo-loop centering routine that analyzes video images with an edge detection algorithm is first used to determine the dimensions of the loop holding the sample; then low-dose X-rays are used to record diffraction images in a grid over the edge and face plane of the loop. A three-dimensional profile of the crystal based on the number of diffraction spots in each image is constructed. The derived center of mass is then used to align the crystal to the X-ray beam. Typical samples can be accurately aligned in ,2,3,min. Because the procedure is based on the number of `good' spots as determined by the program Spotfinder, the best diffracting part of the crystal is aligned to the X-ray beam. [source] Online collection and analysis of X-ray fluorescence spectra on the macromolecular crystallography beamlines of the ESRFJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2009Gordon A. Leonard X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements on solutions or crystals of biological macromolecules provide additional information that can be used in structure determination and/or refinement protocols. Here details are presented of an experimental setup, employed on all the ESRF Macromolecular Crystallography Group beamlines, that allows the online collection and qualitative analysis of XRF spectra. This experimental setup uses a highly attenuated beam and short exposures, meaning it is minimally destructive but retains high sensitivity. [source] MxCuBE: a synchrotron beamline control environment customized for macromolecular crystallography experimentsJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2010José Gabadinho The design and features of a beamline control software system for macromolecular crystallography (MX) experiments developed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) are described. This system, MxCuBE, allows users to easily and simply interact with beamline hardware components and provides automated routines for common tasks in the operation of a synchrotron beamline dedicated to experiments in MX. Additional functionality is provided through intuitive interfaces that enable the assessment of the diffraction characteristics of samples, experiment planning, automatic data collection and the on-line collection and analysis of X-ray emission spectra. The software can be run in a tandem client-server mode that allows for remote control and relevant experimental parameters and results are automatically logged in a relational database, ISPyB. MxCuBE is modular, flexible and extensible and is currently deployed on eight macromolecular crystallography beamlines at the ESRF. Additionally, the software is installed at MAX-lab beamline I911-3 and at BESSY beamline BL14.1. [source] Determination of X-ray flux using silicon pin diodesJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 2 2009Robin L. Owen Accurate measurement of photon flux from an X-ray source, a parameter required to calculate the dose absorbed by the sample, is not yet routinely available at macromolecular crystallography beamlines. The development of a model for determining the photon flux incident on pin diodes is described here, and has been tested on the macromolecular crystallography beamlines at both the Swiss Light Source, Villigen, Switzerland, and the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley, USA, at energies between 4 and 18,keV. These experiments have shown that a simple model based on energy deposition in silicon is sufficient for determining the flux incident on high-quality silicon pin diodes. The derivation and validation of this model is presented, and a web-based tool for the use of the macromolecular crystallography and wider synchrotron community is introduced. [source] Implementation of remote monitoring and diffraction evaluation systems at the Photon Factory macromolecular crystallography beamlinesJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 3 2008Yusuke Yamada Owing to recent advances in high-throughput technology in macromolecular crystallography beamlines, such as high-brilliant X-ray sources, high-speed readout detectors and robotics, the number of samples that can be examined in a single visit to the beamline has increased dramatically. In order to make these experiments more efficient, two functions, remote monitoring and diffraction image evaluation, have been implemented in the macromolecular crystallography beamlines at the Photon Factory (PF). Remote monitoring allows scientists to participate in the experiment by watching from their laboratories, without having to come to the beamline. Diffraction image evaluation makes experiments easier, especially when using the sample exchange robot. To implement these two functions, two independent clients have been developed that work specifically for remote monitoring and diffraction image evaluation. In the macromolecular crystallography beamlines at PF, beamline control is performed using STARS (simple transmission and retrieval system). The system adopts a client,server style in which client programs communicate with each other through a server process using the STARS protocol. This is an advantage of the extension of the system; implementation of these new functions required few modifications of the existing system. [source] Towards an understanding of radiation damage in cryocooled macromolecular crystalsJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 3 2005Colin Nave Interest in radiation damage is growing rapidly owing to the surge in macromolecular crystallography experiments carried out at modern brilliant synchrotron macromolecular crystallography beamlines. Work on the characterization of radiation damage in cryocooled protein crystals is starting to have some impact on our understanding of the problem and of how damage might be affecting both the process of structure solution and the actual structure obtained. A brief review of the most recent developments is given together with an assessment of the remaining problems. Although progress is being made, the understanding of radiation damage is far from complete. Methods for recognizing the damage and treating the data are being made available but they are still at an early stage of development. [source] | ||||||||||