We propose a program of four projects bearing on the phase problem of crystal structure determination. The immediate objective is to develop more powerful methods of biomolecular structure determination, first, by developing improved experimental and computational strategies for existing methods of sequential or incremental phasing and, second, by developing entirely new direct methods of global phasing. Success in these endeavors will render the phase problem routinely solvable for structures of several hundreds of atoms. The longer-range goal is progress toward development of direct methods that will be routinely applicable for de novo determinations of the structures of biological macromolecules composed of thousands of atoms. Eventually, this will obviate the need for the time-consuming and labor-intensive search for and chemical preparation and diffraction analysis of multiple isomorphous heavy-atom derivative crystals, which are required by presently used methods of macromolecular structure determination. Our program will involve the efforts of an exceptionally talented and experienced group of crystallographers at the Medical foundation of Buffalo. Members of this group have collaborated variously and successfully over a period of more than 15 years, but often these collaborations have been only incidental to the diverse individual research projects of several collaborators. The proposed program is intended to support the a coordinated team effort, which will benefit from the cross-fertilization of ideas bound to develop out of the rich diversity of crystallographic expertise of the scientific team. The component projects and principal scientists of the program are: (I) Direct Methods of Phase determination - H.A. Hauptman and C.M. Weeks, (II) New Algorithms for Intractable Direct Methods Problems - D.A. Langs and G.D. Smith, (III) Macromolecular Phase Problem: Experimental Approaches - G.T. DeTitta and R.H. Blessing, (IV) Direct Methods Phasing in Electron Crystallography - D.L. Dorset.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
1P01GM046733-01
Application #
3096422
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SSS (B5))
Project Start
1992-03-01
Project End
1996-02-29
Budget Start
1992-03-01
Budget End
1993-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
074025479
City
Buffalo
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14203
Xu, Hongliang; Hauptman, Herbert A (2004) Statistical approach to the phase problem. Acta Crystallogr A 60:153-7
Hauptman, Herbert A; Langs, David A (2003) The phase problem in neutron crystallography. Acta Crystallogr A 59:250-4
Shen, Qun; Wang, Jun (2003) Recursive direct phasing with reference-beam diffraction. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 59:809-14
Xu, Hongliang; Hauptman, Herbert A (2003) On integrating the techniques of direct methods and SIRAS: the probabilistic theory of doublets and its applications. Acta Crystallogr A 59:60-5
Weeks, Charles M; Adams, Paul D; Berendzen, Joel et al. (2003) Automatic solution of heavy-atom substructures. Methods Enzymol 374:37-83
Shen, Qun; Wang, Jun; Ealick, Steven E (2003) Anomalous difference signal in protein crystals. Acta Crystallogr A 59:371-3
Shen, Qun (2003) Improving triplet-phase accuracy by symmetry observations in reference-beam diffraction measurements. Acta Crystallogr A 59:335-40
Lemke, Christopher T; Smith, G David; Howell, P Lynne (2002) S-SAD, Se-SAD and S/Se-SIRAS using Cu Kalpha radiation: why wait for synchrotron time? Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 58:2096-101
Xu, Hongliang; Hauptman, Herbert A; Weeks, Charles M (2002) Sine-enhanced Shake-and-Bake: the theoretical basis and applications to Se-atom substructures. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 58:90-6
Hauptman, Herbert A; Guo, D Y; Xu, Hongliang et al. (2002) Algebraic direct methods for few-atoms structure models. Acta Crystallogr A 58:361-9

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