Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Mar 20;20(6):1401. doi: 10.3390/ijms20061401.
The focus of structural biology is shifting from the determination of static structures to the investigation of dynamical aspects of macromolecular function. With time-resolved macromolecular crystallography (TRX), intermediates that form and decay during the macromolecular reaction can be investigated, as well as their reaction dynamics. Time-resolved crystallographic methods were initially developed at synchrotrons. However, about a decade ago, extremely brilliant, femtosecond-pulsed X-ray sources, the free electron lasers for hard X-rays, became available to a wider community. TRX is now possible with femtosecond temporal resolution. This review provides an overview of methodological aspects of TRX, and at the same time, aims to outline the frontiers of this method at modern pulsed X-ray sources.
结构生物学的研究重点正从确定静态结构转向研究大分子功能的动态方面。利用时分辨 X 射线晶体学（TRX）可以研究大分子反应过程中形成和衰减的中间产物及其反应动力学。时分辨晶体学方法最初是在同步加速器上开发的。然而，大约十年前，极亮的飞秒脉冲 X 射线源，即硬 X 射线自由电子激光，开始被更广泛的研究群体所使用。现在可以使用飞秒时间分辨率进行 TRX。本文综述了 TRX 的方法学方面，同时旨在概述现代脉冲 X 射线源中该方法的前沿领域。
