SGER: Serial Crystallography

该奖项支持一个探索性项目的启动，该项目的长期目标是开发用于确定不能结晶的蛋白质的三维原子结构的设备和程序。新设备将用于产生一束超液态氦滴，每一滴都含有一个水合蛋白质分子。 通过使用激光，分子将在液滴内定向，并且通过使液滴穿过高能电子束将产生电子衍射图案。来自单个液滴的数据将被组合以提供衍射图案，然后使用最近开发的迭代方法进行分析。 或者，可以使用依赖于同晶置换的更标准的方法。该奖项支持的两个初步步骤包括在液氦温度下在亚微米大小的玻璃质冰球中开发水合蛋白质的分子束源，以及开发能够分析掺杂冰球射流的电子衍射相机和区域探测器。 激光光谱将用于确认冰球中的蛋白质没有变性，第二步的成功将通过从掺杂冰球束中的蛋白质寻找Debye-Scherrer环电子衍射图案来证明。 该项目将为博士后学生提供培训，并将增加现有部门教育推广工作的内容。

This award supports the initiation of an exploratory project whose long term aim is development of equipment and procedures for determination of the three-dimensional atomic structure of proteins that cannot be crystallized. The new equipment will be used to generate a beam of superliquid helium drops, each containing a single hydrated protein molecule. The molecules will be oriented within the drops by use of laser, and an electron diffraction pattern will be generated by passing the drops through a high energy electron beam. Data from individual drops will be combined to provide a diffraction pattern, and then analyzed using recently developed iterative methods. Alternatively, more standard approaches that depend on isomorphous replacement can be used. The two initial steps to be supported by this award include the development of a molecular-beam source of hydrated proteins in submicron-sized, vitreous ice balls at liquid helium temperature, and the development of an electron diffraction camera and area detector capable of analysis of the jet of the doped ice balls. Laser spectroscopy will be used to confirm that proteins in the ice-balls are not denatured, and the success of the second step will be demonstrated by looking for Debye-Scherrer ring electron diffraction patterns from the proteins in the beam of doped ice balls. The project will provide traing for a postdoctoral student, and will augment the content of existing departmental education outreach efforts.