Seminars Archive

Structural studies of biological macromolecules in solution by small-angle x-ray scattering

Abstract
Small-angle X-ray scattering is an increasingly important tool for the study of biological macromolecules in solution. The use of bright synchrotron sources and recent progress in data analysis methods significantly enhanced resolution and reliability of structural models provided by the technique. Novel approaches will be presented to study ab initio low resolution shape and domain structure, to model the quaternary structure by rigid body refinement, to quantitatively characterize equilibrium mixtures and flexible systems; to jointly apply X-ray and neutron scattering in the study multi-component complexes. Practical applications of the methods will be illustrated by recent examples.