New light for science: synchrotron radiation in structural medicine

Thomas L-M Sorensen, Katherine E McAuley, Ralf Flaig, Elizabeth M H Duke

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperReviewResearchpeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Macromolecular crystallography (MX) is a powerful method for obtaining detailed three-dimensional structural information about macromolecules. MX using synchrotron X-rays has contributed, significantly, to both fundamental and applied research, including the structure-based design of drugs to combat important diseases. New third-generation synchrotrons offer substantial improvements in terms of quality and brightness of the X-ray beams they produce. Important classes of macromolecules, such as membrane proteins (including many receptors) and macromolecular complexes, are difficult to obtain in quantity and to crystallise, which has hampered analysis by MX. Intensely bright X-rays from the latest synchrotrons will enable the use of extremely small crystals, and should usher in a period of rapid progress in resolving these previously refractory structures.

Original languageEnglish
JournalTrends in Biotechnology
Volume24
Issue11
Pages (from-to)500-8
Number of pages9
ISSN0167-7799
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antitubercular Agents/chemistry
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Design
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents/chemistry
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy
  • Membrane Proteins/chemistry
  • Models, Molecular
  • Multiprotein Complexes/chemistry
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors/chemistry
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Synchrotrons
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/drug therapy
  • X-Rays

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