The Structural Biology Shared Resource provides the expertise needed to obtain high resolution structures by NMR and X-ray diffraction. These structural approaches are complemented by significant strengths in computational biology, cryo-electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, a wide range of vibrational spectroscopies and the development of novel macromolecular footprinting approaches at the College and AECC. The X-ray component has access to ~50 days/year on the X9A bending magnet beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven National Laboratory. An additional one day/month is currently available on the X29 insertion device at NSLS through the New York Structural Genomics Research Consortium (NYSGRC), along with access to the X4 bending magnet beamlines through Einstein's participation in the New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC). The NYSGRC also provides access to the SGX-CAT beamline at the Advanced Photon Source, which offers FEDEX crystallographic service. These arrangements ensure that access to data collection resources is never rate limiting. There is also in-house Rigaku rotating anode/image plate data collection capabilities essential for characterization and pre-screening of samples prior to synchrotron analysis. The NMR component at AECC consists of 300 MHz and 600 MHz NMR spectrometers, one with a cryoprobe. In addition, AECC investigators have full access to the NYSBC which houses two new 900 MHz and three 800 MHz instruments both with cryoprobes, and one 750 MHz solid state NMR spectrometer. The Facility is now providing dedicated protein expression and purification expertise initially on E. coli expression systems due to the relative efficiency and throughput. It is anticipated that these efforts will be expanded to include higher order expression systems (i.e., insect and mammalian cell systems) and cell free expression systems. The enhancement of this service, as proposed in this application, is considered to be the single most direct route to increasing the utilization of the Structural Biology Shared Resource by AECC members. The capability of the Facility has been strengthened by the acquisition of a custom designed TECAN crystallization robot that can support the rapid (minutes) generation of a 96-well crystallization trial.
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