Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2013 Sep 7;15(33):13705-12. doi: 10.1039/c3cp51760h. Epub 2013 Jul 15.
New developments in macromolecular neutron crystallography have led to an increasing number of structures published over the last decade. Hydrogen atoms, normally invisible in most X-ray crystal structures, become visible with neutrons. Using X-rays allows one to see structure, while neutrons allow one to reveal the chemistry inherent in these macromolecular structures. A number of surprising and sometimes controversial results have emerged; because it is difficult to see or predict hydrogen atoms in X-ray structures, when they are seen by neutrons they can be in unexpected locations with important chemical and biological consequences. Here we describe examples of chemistry seen with neutrons for the first time in biological macromolecules over the past few years.
近年来，高分子中子晶体学的新发展使得越来越多的结构得以发表。在大多数 X 射线晶体结构中通常不可见的氢原子在中子中变得可见。使用 X 射线可以看到结构，而使用中子可以揭示这些高分子结构中固有的化学性质。出现了许多令人惊讶甚至有时有争议的结果；由于在 X 射线结构中很难看到或预测氢原子，因此当它们被中子看到时，它们可能处于意想不到的位置，具有重要的化学和生物学后果。在这里，我们描述了过去几年中在生物大分子中首次通过中子看到的化学实例。
