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Illuminating crystallography

Abstract

Synchrotron radiation is an established tool in macromolecular crystallograpghy. Its high intensity and tunability play crucial roles in many structural analysis.

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Figure 1: A diffraction pattern from a crystal of the core particle of blue-tongue virus, BTV 10, recorded on the high brilliance beamline ID2 at the ESRF.
Figure 2: Harker section v = 1/2 of the anomalous difference Patterson synthesis for a mannanase platinum derivative at 1.65 Å resolution.
Figure 3: a, The structure of a complex between cellulase CelA from Clostridium thermocellum and cellopentaose has been refined to 0.94 Å resolution (D.M.A. Guerin & P. Alzari, manuscript in preparation).

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Acknowledgements

This brief overview is somewhat subjective and based largely on my own experience at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg Outstation. I am greatly indebted to D. Blow who first suggested my move to Hamburg and to L. Phillipson who so strongly supported the activities there.

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Wilson, K. Illuminating crystallography. Nat Struct Mol Biol 5 (Suppl 8), 627–630 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/1318

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