The X-ray crystallography data collection station funded by this proposal represents the first of a new generation of very high intensity X-ray generators that, when coupled with VariMax High-Resolution and High-Flux optics and a high resolution image plate detector, can give near synchrotron results in a home source. The system consists of a MicroMax007 High-Flux x-ray generator with VariMax high-resolution optics capable of generating a beam flux of 2.95x10^9photons/sec, almost equal to a 3rd generation synchrotron bending magnet line.
The data collection station will greatly increase the capabilities of several structural biology research programs at Texas A&M by allowing scientists rapid access to these facilities. The six areas of structural biology most impacted by the instrument will be: high-resolution structure determination, rapid inhibitor screening, membrane structure determination, protein folding, enzyme mechanism, and protein-protein interactions. This instrumentation will also aid in the development of software packages for automated structure determination and in-silco screening.
The multidisciplinary group of faculty and students within the Departments of Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chemistry, and Computer Science, comprise the Texas A&M Center for Structural Biology and will be the primary users of the instrument. These research programs interface their projects to bridge gaps between other methods in structural sciences including NMR, fluorescence, CD, computational biology, and protein crystallography, ultimately providing a seamless approach to understanding the details of protein structure and function.
The X-ray data collection equipment requested in this proposal will allow for a community of researchers to expand their research into structural biology. This will aid in our efforts to create new collaborations, while enhancing existing collaborations. Cross training efforts among the fields of biology, biochemistry, immunology and biophysics will be greatly increased, aiding in the education of both graduate and post-doctoral students. In doing so, the improved training will ultimately increase the recruitment power, making Texas A&M University more inviting to underrepresented scientists. Undergraduate and graduate education, with hands on experience, will be improved as this instrumentation is incorporated into the structural biology curriculum.
