Practical Workshop on the use of longer wavelengths in Structural Biology

The routine accessibility, on some macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines at SR sources, of photons in the energy range 8 – 6 keV has lead to an increase in the exploitation, for structure solution in MX, of the small anomalous signals from sulphur and phosphorous available at such energies. However, due to experimental difficulties, this approach to structure solution has not yet reached its full potential.

A Practical Workshop on the use of longer wavelengths in Structural Biology will be organised at the ESRF, Grenoble on the 18th-19th of February 2010. Long wavelength data will be collected on the ID29 MAD Beamline which is equipped to provide state-of-the-art facilities for long wavelength data collection (i.e. third harmonic rejection mirror, use of minikappa device to reorient the crystals for more accurate Friedel pairs measurement and use of He-filled cone to minimise air scattering and absorption).

The number of participants is limited to six. Students will be tutored directly on the beam line where data processing and on-line attempts at structure solution will also take place. Participants are encouraged and should be prepared to bring crystals of their own 'real' cases where phasing using longer wavelengths (particularly S-SAD or P-SAD) might prove tractable.