Structural Dynamics (Jul 2015)

Radiation damage in a micron-sized protein crystal studied via reciprocal space mapping and Bragg coherent diffractive imaging

  • H. D. Coughlan,
  • C. Darmanin,
  • N. W. Phillips,
  • F. Hofmann,
  • J. N. Clark,
  • R. J. Harder,
  • D. J. Vine,
  • B. Abbey

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4919641
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 4
pp. 041704 – 041704-13

Abstract

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For laboratory and synchrotron based X-ray sources, radiation damage has posed a significant barrier to obtaining high-resolution structural data from biological macromolecules. The problem is particularly acute for micron-sized crystals where the weaker signal often necessitates the use of higher intensity beams to obtain the relevant data. Here, we employ a combination of techniques, including Bragg coherent diffractive imaging to characterise the radiation induced damage in a micron-sized protein crystal over time. The approach we adopt here could help screen for potential protein crystal candidates for measurement at X-ray free election laser sources.