NE-CAT Center for Advanced Macromolecular Crystallography

描述（由申请人提供）：NE-CAT高级高分子晶体学中心在阿贡国家实验室高级光子源24区操作两条波荡器光束线。我们的使命是为结构生物学中具有挑战性的问题开发先进技术。这些问题作为驱动生物医学项目（DBPs）来找我们，因为他们的开创性科学而被选中。例子包括膜通道、转运蛋白和受体;细胞信号蛋白;催化复杂细胞过程的酶;翻译、转录、重组和修复的结构生物学; RNA分子和RNA介导的基因调控，以及大蛋白复合物如核孔。这些项目通常会遇到微晶、不均匀晶体、衍射差的晶体或诸如多重晶格的病态。为了解决这些问题，我们将在三个相互依存的领域开发技术：（1）微束衍射，（2）光束线自动化，（3）低分辨率结构生物学。微束衍射建立在我们成功的微晶衍射项目之上。我们将开发小型（2- 5| j，m），强而稳定的微束，用于微晶和测量来自非均匀晶体的选定区域的数据。我们还将研究如何提高样本稳定性，这通常会限制数据质量。对于不均匀的样品，我们将制定最佳的数据收集协议。光束线自动化将专注于新的快速筛选协议，自动化程序，以确定最佳的数据收集策略，特别是对于多晶体和灵活的kappa几何形状，以及自动化数据处理和分析的方法。低分辨率结构生物学在多组分复合物和膜蛋白结构研究的推动下迅速发展。我们将开发技术，在分辨率极限下获得最佳信噪比，同时仍然测量最低阶反射。我们将开发协议来优化数据收集策略和数据处理，特别是针对多晶体。我们还将开发现场方法来提高现有晶体的分辨率。在过去的五年里，我们一直保持着非常富有成效的合作和服务计划。我们预期使用者（包括消毒副学士）的数目会维持在每年约1000人。我们将尽快向所有用户提供我们的新技术。我们中心的优势在于用户培训。我们将继续我们广泛的培训计划，同时开发新的方法来培训远程访问用户。我们将继续通过各种机制传播技术和科学成果，这些机制包括我们的网站、在会议上的介绍、讲习班、出版物和一对一的联系。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The NE-CAT Center for Advanced Macromolecular Crystallography operates two undulator beamlines at Sector 24 of the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. Our mission is to develop advanced technologies for challenging problems in structural biology. These problems come to us as Driving Biomedical Projects (DBPs), selected for their groundbreaking science. Examples include membrane channels, transporters, and receptors; cell signaling proteins; enzymes catalyzing complex cellular processes; structural biology of translation, transcription, recombination and repair; lare RNA molecules and RNA-mediated gene regulation, and large protein complexes such as nuclear pores. These projects often confront microcrystals, inhomogeneous crystals, poorly diffracting crystals, or pathologies such as multiple lattices. To address these problems we will develop technology in three interdependent areas: (1) microbeam diffraction, (2) beamline automation, and (3) low resolution structural biology. Microbeam diffraction builds on our successful microcrystal diffraction program. We will develop technology for small (2- 5 |j,m), intense and stable microbeams, for use with microcrystals and for measuring data from selected regions of inhomogeneous crystals. We will also work out how to improve sample stability, which often limits data quality. For inhomogeneous samples we will develop optimal data-collection protocols. Beamline automation will focus on new, rapid screening protocols, automated procedures to determine the best data collection strategies, especially for multiple crystals and flexible kappa geometry, and methods for automated data processing and analysis. Low resolution structural biology is growing rapidly, driven by structural studies of multicomponent complexes and membrane proteins. We will develop technology to obtain the best possible signal-to-noise at the resolution limit while still measuring the lowest order reflections. We will develop protocols to optimize data-collection strategies and data processing, especially for multiple crystals. We will also develop on- site methods to improve the resolution of existing crystals. During the past five years we have maintained a very productive collaboration and service program. We expect the number of users (including DBPs) to remain constant at about 1000 per year. We will make our new technology available to all users as early as possible. A strength of our Center is user training. We will continue our extensive training program, while developing new approaches to train remote access users. We will continue dissemination of both technology and scientific results through mechanisms that include our web site, presentations at meetings, workshops, publications, and one-on-one contacts.