TY - JOUR
T1 - Recent innovations in membrane-protein structural biology [version 1; referees
T2 - 3 approved]
AU - Allen, James
N1 - Funding Information:
Author roles: Allen JP: Writing – Review & Editing Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed. Grant information: This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (CHE 1505874).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Allen JP.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Innovations are expanding the capabilities of experimental investigations of the structural properties of membrane proteins. Traditionally, three-dimensional structures have been determined by measuring x-ray diffraction using protein crystals with a size of least 100 μm. For membrane proteins, achieving crystals suitable for these measurements has been a significant challenge. The availabilities of micro-focus x-ray beams and the new instrumentation of x-ray free-electron lasers have opened up the possibility of using submicrometer-sized crystals. In addition, advances in cryo-electron microscopy have expanded the use of this technique for studies of protein crystals as well as studies of individual proteins as single particles. Together, these approaches provide unprecedented opportunities for the exploration of structural properties of membrane proteins, including dynamical changes during protein function.
AB - Innovations are expanding the capabilities of experimental investigations of the structural properties of membrane proteins. Traditionally, three-dimensional structures have been determined by measuring x-ray diffraction using protein crystals with a size of least 100 μm. For membrane proteins, achieving crystals suitable for these measurements has been a significant challenge. The availabilities of micro-focus x-ray beams and the new instrumentation of x-ray free-electron lasers have opened up the possibility of using submicrometer-sized crystals. In addition, advances in cryo-electron microscopy have expanded the use of this technique for studies of protein crystals as well as studies of individual proteins as single particles. Together, these approaches provide unprecedented opportunities for the exploration of structural properties of membrane proteins, including dynamical changes during protein function.
KW - Cryo-electron microscopy
KW - Protein crystallography
KW - Protein dynamics
KW - X-ray free electron laser
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U2 - 10.12688/f1000research.16234.1
DO - 10.12688/f1000research.16234.1
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30828437
AN - SCOPUS:85062410500
SN - 2046-1402
VL - 8
JO - F1000Research
JF - F1000Research
M1 - 211
ER -