Miyashita Osamu, Joti Yasumasa
Advanced Institute of Computational Science, RIKEN, 6-7-1, Minatojima-minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
XFEL Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan.
Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2017 Apr;43:163-169. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2017.03.014. Epub 2017 May 10.
The X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) is a new light source that can produce coherent, ultra-brilliant, femtosecond X-ray pulses. This X-ray beam provides new possibilities for studies in structural biology. In this review, we survey the applications of XFEL to biological systems, with an emphasis on studies of noncrystalline samples. Although atomic-level modeling is not yet achievable, this method enables high-throughput, damage-free imaging of biological samples under near-physiological conditions and is being rapidly developed. Here, we provide overviews of XFEL technology, experimental techniques, and computational data analyses, and discuss examples of such studies.
X射线自由电子激光（XFEL）是一种能够产生相干、超亮飞秒X射线脉冲的新型光源。这种X射线束为结构生物学研究提供了新的可能性。在本综述中，我们考察了XFEL在生物系统中的应用，重点是对非晶态样品的研究。虽然尚未实现原子水平的建模，但该方法能够在近生理条件下对生物样品进行高通量、无损成像，并且正在迅速发展。在这里，我们概述了XFEL技术、实验技术和计算数据分析，并讨论了此类研究的实例。
