1
|
Bochtler M. X-rays, electrons, and neutrons as probes of atomic matter. Structure 2024; 32:630-643.e6. [PMID: 38412856 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
X-rays, electrons, and neutrons probe different properties of matter. X-rays feel electron density (ED). Electrons sense the electrostatic potential (ESP) of electrons and nuclei. Neutrons are sensitive to nuclear coherent scattering length (NCSL). While NCSL maps are widely understood to be different, ED and ESP maps are tacitly assumed to be similar. Here, I show that the belief in ED and ESP map equivalence is mistaken, but contains a grain of truth. Using density functional theory (DFT), the Bethe-Mott (BM) relation, and the Thomas-Fermi (TF) and Cromer-Mann (CM) atomic models, I show that ED and ESP maps are indeed more similar to each other than to NCSL maps. Nevertheless, peak and integrated map values depend differently on the atomic order number and on the contributions from electrons in the inner and outer CM shells. ED and ESP maps also differ in the sign and relative magnitude of excess charge effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Bochtler
- IIMCB, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland; Polish Academy of Sciences, IBB, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Haymaker A, Nannenga BL. Advances and applications of microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 84:102741. [PMID: 38086321 PMCID: PMC10882645 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction, commonly referred to as MicroED, has become a powerful tool for high-resolution structure determination. The method makes use of cryogenic transmission electron microscopes to collect electron diffraction data from crystals that are several orders of magnitude smaller than those used by other conventional diffraction techniques. MicroED has been used on a variety of samples including soluble proteins, membrane proteins, small organic molecules, and materials. Here we will review the MicroED method and highlight recent advancements to the methodology, as well as describe applications of MicroED within the fields of structural biology and chemical crystallography.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alison Haymaker
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Catapano L, Long F, Yamashita K, Nicholls RA, Steiner RA, Murshudov GN. Neutron crystallographic refinement with REFMAC5 from the CCP4 suite. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2023; 79:1056-1070. [PMID: 37921806 PMCID: PMC7615533 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798323008793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen (H) atoms are abundant in macromolecules and often play critical roles in enzyme catalysis, ligand-recognition processes and protein-protein interactions. However, their direct visualization by diffraction techniques is challenging. Macromolecular X-ray crystallography affords the localization of only the most ordered H atoms at (sub-)atomic resolution (around 1.2 Å or higher). However, many H atoms of biochemical significance remain undetectable by this method. In contrast, neutron diffraction methods enable the visualization of most H atoms, typically in the form of deuterium (2H) atoms, at much more common resolution values (better than 2.5 Å). Thus, neutron crystallography, although technically demanding, is often the method of choice when direct information on protonation states is sought. REFMAC5 from the Collaborative Computational Project No. 4 (CCP4) is a program for the refinement of macromolecular models against X-ray crystallographic and cryo-EM data. This contribution describes its extension to include the refinement of structural models obtained from neutron crystallographic data. Stereochemical restraints with accurate bond distances between H atoms and their parent atom nuclei are now part of the CCP4 Monomer Library, the source of prior chemical information used in the refinement. One new feature for neutron data analysis in REFMAC5 is refinement of the protium/deuterium (1H/2H) fraction. This parameter describes the relative 1H/2H contribution to neutron scattering for hydrogen isotopes. The newly developed REFMAC5 algorithms were tested by performing the (re-)refinement of several entries available in the PDB and of one novel structure (FutA) using either (i) neutron data only or (ii) neutron data supplemented by external restraints to a reference X-ray crystallographic structure. Re-refinement with REFMAC5 afforded models characterized by R-factor values that are consistent with, and in some cases better than, the originally deposited values. The use of external reference structure restraints during refinement has been observed to be a valuable strategy, especially for structures at medium-low resolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucrezia Catapano
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
- Structural Studies, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Fei Long
- Structural Studies, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Keitaro Yamashita
- Structural Studies, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A. Nicholls
- Structural Studies, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Roberto A. Steiner
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Garib N. Murshudov
- Structural Studies, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Parkhurst JM, Crawshaw AD, Siebert CA, Dumoux M, Owen CD, Nunes P, Waterman D, Glen T, Stuart DI, Naismith JH, Evans G. Investigation of the milling characteristics of different focused-ion-beam sources assessed by three-dimensional electron diffraction from crystal lamellae. IUCRJ 2023; 10:270-287. [PMID: 36952226 PMCID: PMC10161776 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252523001902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional electron diffraction (3DED) from nanocrystals of biological macromolecules requires the use of very small crystals. These are typically less than 300 nm-thick in the direction of the electron beam due to the strong interaction between electrons and matter. In recent years, focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling has been used in the preparation of thin samples for 3DED. These instruments typically use a gallium liquid metal ion source. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources in principle offer faster milling rates. Little work has been done to quantify the damage these sources cause to delicate biological samples at cryogenic temperatures. Here, an analysis of the effect that milling with plasma FIB (pFIB) instrumentation has on lysozyme crystals is presented. This work evaluates both argon and xenon plasmas and compares them with crystals milled with a gallium source. A milling protocol was employed that utilizes an overtilt to produce wedge-shaped lamellae with a shallow thickness gradient which yielded very thin crystalline samples. 3DED data were then acquired and standard data-processing statistics were employed to assess the quality of the diffraction data. An upper bound to the depth of the pFIB-milling damage layer of between 42.5 and 50 nm is reported, corresponding to half the thickness of the thinnest lamellae that resulted in usable diffraction data. A lower bound of between 32.5 and 40 nm is also reported, based on a literature survey of the minimum amount of diffracting material required for 3DED.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James M Parkhurst
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Adam D Crawshaw
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - C Alistair Siebert
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - Maud Dumoux
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - C David Owen
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro Nunes
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - David Waterman
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, Oxford OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Glen
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - David I Stuart
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - James H Naismith
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Gwyndaf Evans
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nuclear magnetic resonance diffraction with subangstrom precision. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2209213119. [PMID: 36161956 PMCID: PMC9546613 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209213119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior to the development of MRI, Mansfield and Grannell proposed NMR diffraction (NMRd) as a method to investigate the structure of crystalline materials. When realized on the atomic scale, NMRd would be a powerful tool to study the structure of materials, utilizing the spectroscopic capabilities of NMR. The main challenge to achieving this goal lies in the ability to encode large relative phase differences between neighboring nuclear spins on the atomic scale. Utilizing key advances in nanoMRI technology, we demonstrate the ability to encode and detect angstrom-scale modulation of approximately 2 million 31P spins in an indium-phosphide (InP) nanowire with subangstrom precision. The work represents a significant step toward the realization of atomic-scale NMRd. We have combined ultrasensitive force-based spin detection with high-fidelity spin control to achieve NMR diffraction (NMRd) measurement of ~2 million 31P spins in a (50 nm)3 volume of an indium-phosphide (InP) nanowire. NMRd is a technique originally proposed for studying the structure of periodic arrangements of spins, with complete access to the spectroscopic capabilities of NMR. We describe two experiments that realize NMRd detection with subangstrom precision. In the first experiment, we encode a nanometer-scale spatial modulation of the z-axis magnetization of 31P spins and detect the period and position of the modulation with a precision of <0.8 Å. In the second experiment, we demonstrate an interferometric technique, utilizing NMRd, to detect an angstrom-scale displacement of the InP sample with a precision of 0.07 Å. The diffraction-based techniques developed in this work extend the Fourier-encoding capabilities of NMR to the angstrom scale and demonstrate the potential of NMRd as a tool for probing the structure and dynamics of nanocrystalline materials.
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhang J, Kong W. Electron diffraction as a structure tool for charged and neutral nanoclusters formed in superfluid helium droplets. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:6349-6362. [PMID: 35257134 PMCID: PMC10508180 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00048b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This perspective presents the current status and future directions in using electron diffraction to determine the structures of clusters formed in superfluid helium droplets. The details of the experimental setup and data treatment procedures are explained, and several examples are illustrated. The ease of forming atomic and molecular clusters has been recognized since the invention of superfluid helium droplet beams. To resolve atomic structures from clusters formed in droplets, substantial efforts have been devoted to minimizing the contribution of helium to diffraction signals. With active background subtraction, we have obtained structures from clusters containing a few to more than 10 monomers, with and without heavy atoms to assist with the diffraction intensity, for both neutral and ionic species. From fittings of the diffraction profiles using model structures, we have observed that some small clusters adopt the structures of the corresponding solid sample, even for dimers such as iodine and pyrene, while others require trimers or tetramers to reach the structural motif of bulk solids, and smaller clusters such as CS2 dimers adopt gas phase structures. Cationic clusters of argon clusters contain an Ar3+ core, while pyrene dimers demonstrate a change in the intermolecular distance, from 3.5 Å for neutral dimers to 3.0 Å for cations. Future improvements in reducing the background of helium, and in expanding the information content of electron diffraction such as detection of charge distributions, are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| | - Wei Kong
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Microcrystal electron diffraction in macromolecular and pharmaceutical structure determination. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2021; 37:93-105. [PMID: 34895659 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2020.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has recently shown to be a promising technique for structure determination in structural biology and pharmaceutical chemistry. Here, we discuss the unique properties of electrons and motivate its use for diffraction experiments. We review the latest developments in MicroED, and illustrate its applications in macromolecular crystallography, fragment screening and structure guided drug discovery. We discuss the perspectives of MicroED in synthetic chemistry and pharmaceutical development. We anticipate that the rapid advances MicroED showcased here will promote further development of electron crystallography and open up new opportunities for drug discovery.
Collapse
|
8
|
A Comparison of Structure Determination of Small Organic Molecules by 3D Electron Diffraction at Cryogenic and Room Temperature. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13112131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
3D electron diffraction (3D ED), also known as micro-crystal electron diffraction (MicroED), is a rapid, accurate, and robust method for structure determination of submicron-sized crystals. 3D ED has mainly been applied in material science until 2013, when MicroED was developed for studying macromolecular crystals. MicroED was considered as a cryo-electron microscopy method, as MicroED data collection is usually carried out in cryogenic conditions. As a result, some researchers may consider that 3D ED/MicroED data collection on crystals of small organic molecules can only be performed in cryogenic conditions. In this work, we determined the structure for sucrose and azobenzene tetracarboxylic acid (H4ABTC). The structure of H4ABTC is the first crystal structure ever reported for this molecule. We compared data quality and structure accuracy among datasets collected under cryogenic conditions and room temperature. With the improvement in data quality by data merging, it is possible to reveal hydrogen atom positions in small organic molecule structures under both temperature conditions. The experimental results showed that, if the sample is stable in the vacuum environment of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), the data quality of datasets collected under room temperature is at least as good as data collected under cryogenic conditions according to various indicators (resolution, I/σ(I), CC1/2 (%), R1, Rint, ADRA).
Collapse
|
9
|
Yamashita K, Palmer CM, Burnley T, Murshudov GN. Cryo-EM single-particle structure refinement and map calculation using Servalcat. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:1282-1291. [PMID: 34605431 PMCID: PMC8489229 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321009475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2020, cryo-EM single-particle analysis achieved true atomic resolution thanks to technological developments in hardware and software. The number of high-resolution reconstructions continues to grow, increasing the importance of the accurate determination of atomic coordinates. Here, a new Python package and program called Servalcat is presented that is designed to facilitate atomic model refinement. Servalcat implements a refinement pipeline using the program REFMAC5 from the CCP4 package. After the refinement, Servalcat calculates a weighted Fo - Fc difference map, which is derived from Bayesian statistics. This map helps manual and automatic model building in real space, as is common practice in crystallography. The Fo - Fc map helps in the visualization of weak features including hydrogen densities. Although hydrogen densities are weak, they are stronger than in the electron-density maps produced by X-ray crystallography, and some H atoms are even visible at ∼1.8 Å resolution. Servalcat also facilitates atomic model refinement under symmetry constraints. If point-group symmetry has been applied to the map during reconstruction, the asymmetric unit model is refined with the appropriate symmetry constraints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keitaro Yamashita
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Colin M. Palmer
- Scientific Computing Department, UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Burnley
- Scientific Computing Department, UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Garib N. Murshudov
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Bücker R, Hogan-Lamarre P, Miller RJD. Serial Electron Diffraction Data Processing With diffractem and CrystFEL. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:624264. [PMID: 34095217 PMCID: PMC8171297 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.624264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Serial electron diffraction (SerialED) is an emerging technique, which applies the snapshot data-collection mode of serial X-ray crystallography to three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D Electron Diffraction), forgoing the conventional rotation method. Similarly to serial X-ray crystallography, this approach leads to almost complete absence of radiation damage effects even for the most sensitive samples, and allows for a high level of automation. However, SerialED also necessitates new techniques of data processing, which combine existing pipelines for rotation electron diffraction and serial X-ray crystallography with some more particular solutions for challenges arising in SerialED specifically. Here, we introduce our analysis pipeline for SerialED data, and its implementation using the CrystFEL and diffractem program packages. Detailed examples are provided in extensive supplementary code.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Bücker
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pascal Hogan-Lamarre
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R J Dwayne Miller
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Peck A, Yao Q, Brewster AS, Zwart PH, Heumann JM, Sauter NK, Jensen GJ. Challenges in solving structures from radiation-damaged tomograms of protein nanocrystals assessed by simulation. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:572-586. [PMID: 33950014 PMCID: PMC8098477 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321002369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Structure-determination methods are needed to resolve the atomic details that underlie protein function. X-ray crystallography has provided most of our knowledge of protein structure, but is constrained by the need for large, well ordered crystals and the loss of phase information. The rapidly developing methods of serial femtosecond crystallography, micro-electron diffraction and single-particle reconstruction circumvent the first of these limitations by enabling data collection from nanocrystals or purified proteins. However, the first two methods also suffer from the phase problem, while many proteins fall below the molecular-weight threshold required for single-particle reconstruction. Cryo-electron tomography of protein nanocrystals has the potential to overcome these obstacles of mainstream structure-determination methods. Here, a data-processing scheme is presented that combines routines from X-ray crystallography and new algorithms that have been developed to solve structures from tomograms of nanocrystals. This pipeline handles image-processing challenges specific to tomographic sampling of periodic specimens and is validated using simulated crystals. The tolerance of this workflow to the effects of radiation damage is also assessed. The simulations indicate a trade-off between a wider tilt range to facilitate merging data from multiple tomograms and a smaller tilt increment to improve phase accuracy. Since phase errors, but not merging errors, can be overcome with additional data sets, these results recommend distributing the dose over a wide angular range rather than using a finer sampling interval to solve the protein structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ariana Peck
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Qing Yao
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Aaron S. Brewster
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Petrus H. Zwart
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Center for Advanced Mathematics in Energy Research Applications, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
| | - John M. Heumann
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Nicholas K. Sauter
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Grant J. Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Helliwell JR. Combining X-rays, neutrons and electrons, and NMR, for precision and accuracy in structure-function studies. Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv 2021; 77:173-185. [PMID: 33944796 PMCID: PMC8127390 DOI: 10.1107/s205327332100317x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The distinctive features of the physics-based probes used in understanding the structure of matter focusing on biological sciences, but not exclusively, are described in the modern context. This is set in a wider scope of holistic biology and the scepticism about `reductionism', what is called the `molecular level', and how to respond constructively. These topics will be set alongside the principles of accuracy and precision, and their boundaries. The combination of probes and their application together is the usual way of realizing accuracy. The distinction between precision and accuracy can be blurred by the predictive force of a precise structure, thereby lending confidence in its potential accuracy. These descriptions will be applied to the comparison of cryo and room-temperature protein crystal structures as well as the solid state of a crystal and the same molecules studied by small-angle X-ray scattering in solution and by electron microscopy on a sample grid. Examples will include: time-resolved X-ray Laue crystallography of an enzyme Michaelis complex formed directly in a crystal equivalent to in vivo; a new iodoplatin for radiation therapy predicted from studies of platin crystal structures; and the field of colouration of carotenoids, as an effective assay of function, i.e. their colouration, when unbound and bound to a protein. The complementarity of probes, as well as their combinatory use, is then at the foundation of real (biologically relevant), probe-artefacts-free, structure-function studies. The foundations of our methodologies are being transformed by colossal improvements in technologies of X-ray and neutron sources and their beamline instruments, as well as improved electron microscopes and NMR spectrometers. The success of protein structure prediction from gene sequence recently reported by CASP14 also opens new doors to change and extend the foundations of the structural sciences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John R. Helliwell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Phengchat R, Malac M, Hayashida M. Chromosome inner structure investigation by electron tomography and electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope. Chromosome Res 2021; 29:63-80. [PMID: 33733375 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-021-09661-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the inner structure of metaphase chromosomes remains inconclusive despite intensive studies using multiple imaging techniques. Transmission electron microscopy has been extensively used to visualize chromosome ultrastructure. This review summarizes recent results obtained using two transmission electron microscopy-based techniques: electron tomography and electron diffraction. Electron tomography allows advanced three-dimensional imaging of chromosomes, while electron diffraction detects the presence of periodic structures within chromosomes. The combination of these two techniques provides results contributing to the understanding of local structural organization of chromatin fibers within chromosomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rinyaporn Phengchat
- Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11 Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.
| | - Marek Malac
- Nanotechnology Research Centre, National Research of Council, 11421 Saskatchewan Drive, T6G 2 M9, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Misa Hayashida
- Nanotechnology Research Centre, National Research of Council, 11421 Saskatchewan Drive, T6G 2 M9, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Clabbers MTB, Xu H. Macromolecular crystallography using microcrystal electron diffraction. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:313-324. [PMID: 33645535 PMCID: PMC7919406 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320016368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has recently emerged as a promising method for macromolecular structure determination in structural biology. Since the first protein structure was determined in 2013, the method has been evolving rapidly. Several protein structures have been determined and various studies indicate that MicroED is capable of (i) revealing atomic structures with charges, (ii) solving new protein structures by molecular replacement, (iii) visualizing ligand-binding interactions and (iv) determining membrane-protein structures from microcrystals embedded in lipidic mesophases. However, further development and optimization is required to make MicroED experiments more accurate and more accessible to the structural biology community. Here, we provide an overview of the current status of the field, and highlight the ongoing development, to provide an indication of where the field may be going in the coming years. We anticipate that MicroED will become a robust method for macromolecular structure determination, complementing existing methods in structural biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Max T. B. Clabbers
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hongyi Xu
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Blum TB, Housset D, Clabbers MTB, van Genderen E, Bacia-Verloop M, Zander U, McCarthy AA, Schoehn G, Ling WL, Abrahams JP. Statistically correcting dynamical electron scattering improves the refinement of protein nanocrystals, including charge refinement of coordinated metals. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:75-85. [PMID: 33404527 PMCID: PMC7787111 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320014540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Electron diffraction allows protein structure determination when only nanosized crystals are available. Nevertheless, multiple elastic (or dynamical) scattering, which is prominent in electron diffraction, is a concern. Current methods for modeling dynamical scattering by multi-slice or Bloch wave approaches are not suitable for protein crystals because they are not designed to cope with large molecules. Here, dynamical scattering of nanocrystals of insulin, thermolysin and thaumatin was limited by collecting data from thin crystals. To accurately measure the weak diffraction signal from the few unit cells in the thin crystals, a low-noise hybrid pixel Timepix electron-counting detector was used. The remaining dynamical component was further reduced in refinement using a likelihood-based correction, which was introduced previously for analyzing electron diffraction data of small-molecule nanocrystals and was adapted here for protein crystals. The procedure is shown to notably improve the structural refinement, in one case allowing the location of solvent molecules. It also allowed refinement of the charge states of bound metal atoms, an important element in protein function, through B-factor analysis of the metal atoms and their ligands. These results clearly increase the value of macromolecular electron crystallography as a complementary structural biology technique.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten B. Blum
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Housset
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Max T. B. Clabbers
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eric van Genderen
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Maria Bacia-Verloop
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Ulrich Zander
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble, France
| | - Andrew A. McCarthy
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble, France
| | - Guy Schoehn
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Wai Li Ling
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) enables atomic resolution structures to be determined from vanishingly small crystals. Soluble proteins typically grow crystals that are tens to hundreds of microns in size for X-ray crystallography. But membrane protein crystals often grow crystals that are too small for X-ray diffraction and yet too large for MicroED. These crystals are often formed in thick, viscous media that challenge traditional cryoEM grid preparation. Here, we describe two approaches for preparing membrane protein crystals for MicroED data collection: application of a crystal slurry directly to EM grids, and focused ion beam milling in a Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM). We summarize the case of preparing an ion channel, NaK, and the workflow of focused ion-beam milling. By milling away the excess media and crystalline material, crystals of any size may be prepared for MicroED. Finally, an energy filter may be used to help minimize inelastic scattering leading to lower noise on recorded images.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Martynowycz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Polovinkin V, Khakurel K, Babiak M, Angelov B, Schneider B, Dohnalek J, Andreasson J, Hajdu J. Demonstration of electron diffraction from membrane protein crystals grown in a lipidic mesophase after lamella preparation by focused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperatures. J Appl Crystallogr 2020; 53:1416-1424. [PMID: 33304220 PMCID: PMC7710488 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576720013096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Electron diffraction experiments on crystals of membrane proteins grown in lipidic mesophases have not been possible owing to a thick layer of viscous crystallization medium around the crystals. Here it is shown that focused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperatures (cryo-FIB milling) can remove the viscous layer, and high-quality electron diffraction on a FIB-milled lamella of a bacteriorhodopsin 3D crystal is demonstrated. Electron crystallography of sub-micrometre-sized 3D protein crystals has emerged recently as a valuable field of structural biology. In meso crystallization methods, utilizing lipidic mesophases, particularly lipidic cubic phases (LCPs), can produce high-quality 3D crystals of membrane proteins (MPs). A major step towards realizing 3D electron crystallography of MP crystals, grown in meso, is to demonstrate electron diffraction from such crystals. The first task is to remove the viscous and sticky lipidic matrix that surrounds the crystals without damaging the crystals. Additionally, the crystals have to be thin enough to let electrons traverse them without significant multiple scattering. In the present work, the concept that focused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperatures (cryo-FIB milling) can be used to remove excess host lipidic mesophase matrix is experimentally verified, and then the crystals are thinned to a thickness suitable for electron diffraction. In this study, bacteriorhodopsin (BR) crystals grown in a lipidic cubic mesophase of monoolein were used as a model system. LCP from a part of a hexagon-shaped plate-like BR crystal (∼10 µm in thickness and ∼70 µm in the longest dimension), which was flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, was milled away with a gallium FIB under cryogenic conditions, and a part of the crystal itself was thinned into a ∼210 nm-thick lamella with the ion beam. The frozen sample was then transferred into an electron cryo-microscope, and a nanovolume of ∼1400 × 1400 × 210 nm of the BR lamella was exposed to 200 kV electrons at a fluence of ∼0.06 e Å−2. The resulting electron diffraction peaks were detected beyond 2.7 Å resolution (with an average peak height to background ratio of >2) by a CMOS-based Ceta 16M camera. The results demonstrate that cryo-FIB milling produces high-quality lamellae from crystals grown in lipidic mesophases and pave the way for 3D electron crystallography on crystals grown or embedded in highly viscous media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly Polovinkin
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Krishna Khakurel
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Babiak
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5/4, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Borislav Angelov
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Bohdan Schneider
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Prumyslova 595, CZ-252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Dohnalek
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Prumyslova 595, CZ-252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jakob Andreasson
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Janos Hajdu
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3 (Box 596), SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Beale EV, Waterman DG, Hecksel C, van Rooyen J, Gilchrist JB, Parkhurst JM, de Haas F, Buijsse B, Evans G, Zhang P. A Workflow for Protein Structure Determination From Thin Crystal Lamella by Micro-Electron Diffraction. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:179. [PMID: 32850967 PMCID: PMC7417479 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroED has recently emerged as a powerful method for the analysis of biological structures at atomic resolution. This technique has been largely limited to protein nanocrystals which grow either as needles or plates measuring only a few hundred nanometers in thickness. Furthermore, traditional microED data processing uses established X-ray crystallography software that is not optimized for handling compound effects that are unique to electron diffraction data. Here, we present an integrated workflow for microED, from sample preparation by cryo-focused ion beam milling, through data collection with a standard Ceta-D detector, to data processing using the DIALS software suite, thus enabling routine atomic structure determination of protein crystals of any size and shape using microED. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the workflow by determining the structure of proteinase K to 2.0 Å resolution and show the advantage of using protein crystal lamellae over nanocrystals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma V Beale
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - David G Waterman
- STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom.,CCP4, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Corey Hecksel
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Jason van Rooyen
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - James B Gilchrist
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - James M Parkhurst
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Felix de Haas
- Materials and Structural Analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Bart Buijsse
- Materials and Structural Analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Gwyndaf Evans
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Peijun Zhang
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom.,Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Beale JH. Macromolecular X-ray crystallography: soon to be a road less travelled? Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2020; 76:400-405. [PMID: 32355036 PMCID: PMC7193534 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320004660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of new X-ray crystallography-based submissions to the Protein Data Bank appears to be at the beginning of a decline, perhaps signalling an end to the era of the dominance of X-ray crystallography within structural biology. This letter, from the viewpoint of a young structural biologist, applies the Copernican method to the life expectancy of crystallography and asks whether the technique is still the mainstay of structural biology. A study of the rate of Protein Data Bank depositions allows a more nuanced analysis of the fortunes of macromolecular X-ray crystallography and shows that cryo-electron microscopy might now be outcompeting crystallography for new labour and talent, perhaps heralding a change in the landscape of the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John H. Beale
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Wolff AM, Young ID, Sierra RG, Brewster AS, Martynowycz MW, Nango E, Sugahara M, Nakane T, Ito K, Aquila A, Bhowmick A, Biel JT, Carbajo S, Cohen AE, Cortez S, Gonzalez A, Hino T, Im D, Koralek JD, Kubo M, Lazarou TS, Nomura T, Owada S, Samelson AJ, Tanaka T, Tanaka R, Thompson EM, van den Bedem H, Woldeyes RA, Yumoto F, Zhao W, Tono K, Boutet S, Iwata S, Gonen T, Sauter NK, Fraser JS, Thompson MC. Comparing serial X-ray crystallography and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) as methods for routine structure determination from small macromolecular crystals. IUCRJ 2020; 7:306-323. [PMID: 32148858 PMCID: PMC7055375 DOI: 10.1107/s205225252000072x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Innovative new crystallographic methods are facilitating structural studies from ever smaller crystals of biological macromolecules. In particular, serial X-ray crystallography and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) have emerged as useful methods for obtaining structural information from crystals on the nanometre to micrometre scale. Despite the utility of these methods, their implementation can often be difficult, as they present many challenges that are not encountered in traditional macromolecular crystallography experiments. Here, XFEL serial crystallography experiments and MicroED experiments using batch-grown microcrystals of the enzyme cyclophilin A are described. The results provide a roadmap for researchers hoping to design macromolecular microcrystallography experiments, and they highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the two methods. Specifically, we focus on how the different physical conditions imposed by the sample-preparation and delivery methods required for each type of experiment affect the crystal structure of the enzyme.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Wolff
- Graduate Program in Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Iris D. Young
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Raymond G. Sierra
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Aaron S. Brewster
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Michael W. Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Michihiro Sugahara
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Takanori Nakane
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Ito
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery, Pharmaceuticals Research Center, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, 632-1 Mifuku, Izunokuni-shi, Shizuoka 410-2321, Japan
| | - Andrew Aquila
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Asmit Bhowmick
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Justin T. Biel
- Graduate Program in Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sergio Carbajo
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Aina E. Cohen
- SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Saul Cortez
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Ana Gonzalez
- SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Tomoya Hino
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-cho, Minami, Tottori 680-8552, Japan
- Center for Research on Green Sustainable Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Dohyun Im
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Jake D. Koralek
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Minoru Kubo
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Graduate School of Life Science, University of Hyogo, Ako-gun, Hyogo 678-1297, Japan
| | | | - Takashi Nomura
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Shigeki Owada
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Avi J. Samelson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Tomoyuki Tanaka
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Rie Tanaka
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Erin M. Thompson
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Graduate Program in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Henry van den Bedem
- Bioscience Department, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Rahel A. Woldeyes
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Graduate Program in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Fumiaki Yumoto
- Structural Biology Research Center, Institute of Materials Structure Science, KEK/High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0034, Japan
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Kensuke Tono
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Sebastien Boutet
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - So Iwata
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Nicholas K. Sauter
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - James S. Fraser
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michael C. Thompson
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Bücker R, Hogan-Lamarre P, Mehrabi P, Schulz EC, Bultema LA, Gevorkov Y, Brehm W, Yefanov O, Oberthür D, Kassier GH, Dwayne Miller RJ. Serial protein crystallography in an electron microscope. Nat Commun 2020; 11:996. [PMID: 32081905 PMCID: PMC7035385 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14793-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Serial X-ray crystallography at free-electron lasers allows to solve biomolecular structures from sub-micron-sized crystals. However, beam time at these facilities is scarce, and involved sample delivery techniques are required. On the other hand, rotation electron diffraction (MicroED) has shown great potential as an alternative means for protein nano-crystallography. Here, we present a method for serial electron diffraction of protein nanocrystals combining the benefits of both approaches. In a scanning transmission electron microscope, crystals randomly dispersed on a sample grid are automatically mapped, and a diffraction pattern at fixed orientation is recorded from each at a high acquisition rate. Dose fractionation ensures minimal radiation damage effects. We demonstrate the method by solving the structure of granulovirus occlusion bodies and lysozyme to resolutions of 1.55 Å and 1.80 Å, respectively. Our method promises to provide rapid structure determination for many classes of materials with minimal sample consumption, using readily available instrumentation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Bücker
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pascal Hogan-Lamarre
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Pedram Mehrabi
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eike C Schulz
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lindsey A Bultema
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yaroslav Gevorkov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Vision Systems, Hamburg University of Technology, Harburger Schlossstrasse 20, 21079, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Brehm
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Yefanov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Oberthür
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Günther H Kassier
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - R J Dwayne Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, CFEL, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761, Hamburg, Germany.
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Gemmi M, Mugnaioli E, Gorelik TE, Kolb U, Palatinus L, Boullay P, Hovmöller S, Abrahams JP. 3D Electron Diffraction: The Nanocrystallography Revolution. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2019; 5:1315-1329. [PMID: 31482114 PMCID: PMC6716134 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.9b00394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Crystallography of nanocrystalline materials has witnessed a true revolution in the past 10 years, thanks to the introduction of protocols for 3D acquisition and analysis of electron diffraction data. This method provides single-crystal data of structure solution and refinement quality, allowing the atomic structure determination of those materials that remained hitherto unknown because of their limited crystallinity. Several experimental protocols exist, which share the common idea of sampling a sequence of diffraction patterns while the crystal is tilted around a noncrystallographic axis, namely, the goniometer axis of the transmission electron microscope sample stage. This Outlook reviews most important 3D electron diffraction applications for different kinds of samples and problematics, related with both materials and life sciences. Structure refinement including dynamical scattering is also briefly discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Gemmi
- Center
for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza S. Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrico Mugnaioli
- Center
for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza S. Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Tatiana E. Gorelik
- University
of Ulm, Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, Electron Microscopy
Group of Materials Science (EMMS), Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ute Kolb
- Institut
für Anorganische Chemie und Analytische Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institut
für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstraße 9, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lukas Palatinus
- Department
of Structure Analysis, Institute of Physics
of the CAS, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czechia
| | - Philippe Boullay
- CRISMAT,
Normandie Université, ENSICAEN, UNICAEN, CNRS UMR 6508, 6 Bd Maréchal Juin, F-14050 Cedex Caen, France
| | - Sven Hovmöller
- Inorganic
and Structural Chemistry, Department of Materials and Environmental
Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Center
for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C−CINA), Biozentrum, Basel University, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department
of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer
Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
- Leiden
Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Data-driven challenges and opportunities in crystallography. Emerg Top Life Sci 2019; 3:423-432. [PMID: 33523208 PMCID: PMC7289006 DOI: 10.1042/etls20180177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Structural biology is in the midst of a revolution fueled by faster and more powerful instruments capable of delivering orders of magnitude more data than their predecessors. This increased pace in data gathering introduces new experimental and computational challenges, frustrating real-time processing and interpretation of data and requiring long-term solutions for data archival and retrieval. This combination of challenges and opportunities is driving the exploration of new areas of structural biology, including studies of macromolecular dynamics and the investigation of molecular ensembles in search of a better understanding of conformational landscapes. The next generation of instruments promises to yield even greater data rates, requiring a concerted effort by institutions, centers and individuals to extract meaning from every bit and make data accessible to the community at large, facilitating data mining efforts by individuals or groups as analysis tools improve.
Collapse
|
24
|
Latychevskaia T, Abrahams JP. Inelastic scattering and solvent scattering reduce dynamical diffraction in biological crystals. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, STRUCTURAL SCIENCE, CRYSTAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS 2019; 75:523-531. [PMID: 32830710 PMCID: PMC6690131 DOI: 10.1107/s2052520619009661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Multi-slice simulations of electron diffraction by three-dimensional protein crystals have indicated that structure solution would be severely impeded by dynamical diffraction, especially when crystals are more than a few unit cells thick. In practice, however, dynamical diffraction turned out to be less of a problem than anticipated on the basis of these simulations. Here it is shown that two scattering phenomena, which are usually omitted from multi-slice simulations, reduce the dynamical effect: solvent scattering reduces the phase differences within the exit beam and inelastic scattering followed by elastic scattering results in diffusion of dynamical scattering out of Bragg peaks. Thus, these independent phenomena provide potential reasons for the apparent discrepancy between theory and practice in protein electron crystallography.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Latychevskaia
- Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
- Biozentrum, Basel University, C-CINA, Mattenstrasse 26, Basel, 4058, Switzerland
- IBL, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, Leiden, 2333 BE, The Netherlands
- Correspondence e-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Clabbers MTB, Gruene T, van Genderen E, Abrahams JP. Reducing dynamical electron scattering reveals hydrogen atoms. Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv 2019; 75:82-93. [PMID: 30575586 PMCID: PMC6302931 DOI: 10.1107/s2053273318013918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared with X-rays, electron diffraction faces a crucial challenge: dynamical electron scattering compromises structure solution and its effects can only be modelled in specific cases. Dynamical scattering can be reduced experimentally by decreasing crystal size but not without a penalty, as it also reduces the overall diffracted intensity. In this article it is shown that nanometre-sized crystals from organic pharmaceuticals allow positional refinement of the hydrogen atoms, even whilst ignoring the effects of dynamical scattering during refinement. To boost the very weak diffraction data, a highly sensitive hybrid pixel detector was employed. A general likelihood-based computational approach was also introduced for further reducing the adverse effects of dynamic scattering, which significantly improved model accuracy, even for protein crystal data at substantially lower resolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Max T. B. Clabbers
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tim Gruene
- Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | | | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
- Leiden Institute of Biology, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Clabbers MTB, Gruene T, Parkhurst JM, Abrahams JP, Waterman DG. Electron diffraction data processing with DIALS. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2018; 74:506-518. [PMID: 29872002 PMCID: PMC6096487 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798318007726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 03/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Electron diffraction is a relatively novel alternative to X-ray crystallography for the structure determination of macromolecules from three-dimensional nanometre-sized crystals. The continuous-rotation method of data collection has been adapted for the electron microscope. However, there are important differences in geometry that must be considered for successful data integration. The wavelength of electrons in a TEM is typically around 40 times shorter than that of X-rays, implying a nearly flat Ewald sphere, and consequently low diffraction angles and a high effective sample-to-detector distance. Nevertheless, the DIALS software package can, with specific adaptations, successfully process continuous-rotation electron diffraction data. Pathologies encountered specifically in electron diffraction make data integration more challenging. Errors can arise from instrumentation, such as beam drift or distorted diffraction patterns from lens imperfections. The diffraction geometry brings additional challenges such as strong correlation between lattice parameters and detector distance. These issues are compounded if calibration is incomplete, leading to uncertainty in experimental geometry, such as the effective detector distance and the rotation rate or direction. Dynamic scattering, absorption, radiation damage and incomplete wedges of data are additional factors that complicate data processing. Here, recent features of DIALS as adapted to electron diffraction processing are shown, including diagnostics for problematic diffraction geometry refinement, refinement of a smoothly varying beam model and corrections for distorted diffraction images. These novel features, combined with the existing tools in DIALS, make data integration and refinement feasible for electron crystallography, even in difficult cases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Max T. B. Clabbers
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tim Gruene
- Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - James M. Parkhurst
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, England
| | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - David G. Waterman
- STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0FA, England
- CCP4, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0FA, England
| |
Collapse
|