Encyclopedia of Biophysics

2013 Edition
| Editors: Gordon C. K. Roberts

Macromolecular Neutron Diffraction

Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_658
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Synonyms

 Macromolecular structure;  Neutron diffraction

Introduction

Macromolecular single-crystal neutron diffraction techniques allow direct determination of the proton and deuteron positions of a macromolecule and its solvent at resolutions of ~1.5 and 2.5 Å, respectively, thereby providing complementary information to that gained via X-ray  macromolecular crystallography. By locating the positions of the protons and deuterons, the protonation states of key amino acid residues, substrates, or inhibitors can be determined, along with the positions and orientations of individual water molecules, providing details that can often be crucial toward understanding the macromolecule’s specific function and behavior (Blakeley 2009; Niimura and Podjarny 2011).

X-ray  macromolecular crystallographyis the method of choice for determination of biological structures. The availability of intense synchrotron radiation sources combined with advances in detection systems allows the use of tiny...
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References

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Copyright information

© European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA) 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Institut Laue-LangevinGrenobleFrance
  2. 2.University of SalzburgSalzburgAustria