PREVENTING RADIATION DECAY IN PROTEIN CRYSTALS

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 而不是由NCRR赠款提供给子项目或子项目工作人员的直接资金。 第三代同步加速器的高通量光束线产生非常高强度的x射线辐射。不幸的是，由于高强度光束中蛋白质晶体的衰减，同步加速器用户插入衰减器以降低光束强度。 因此，光束线没有充分利用其在蛋白质衍射实验中的潜力。 已经有几次尝试来研究蛋白质晶体衰变的机制。 一般认为，辐射衰减部分是由于X射线光子与晶体中的蛋白质或溶剂原子相互作用产生的自由基的影响。 研究人员已经使用了各种程序，如降低数据收集温度，加入自由基清除剂等，以减少这些自由基的影响。目前的项目试图通过使用少量选定的气体作为自由基清除剂来解决蛋白质晶体的辐射衰变问题。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The high-flux beam lines at third generation synchrotrons produce very high intensity x-radiation. Unfortunately, due to decay of the protein crystals in the high intensity beam, the synchrotrons users insert attenuators to reduce the beam intensity. Therefore, beam lines are not utilizing their full potential for protein diffraction experiments. There have been several attempts to study the mechanisms of protein crystal decay. The common belief is that the radiation decay is partly due to the effect of the radicals produced by the interaction of x-ray photons with the protein or solvent atoms in the crystal. Researchers have used various procedures like lowering the data collection temperature, incorporating radical scavengers, etc. to reduce the effect of these radicals. The current project tries to address the radiation decay of protein crystals by employing few selected gases as radical scavengers.