Trewhella J, Gallagher S C, Krueger J K, Zhao J
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Chemical Science and Technology Division, New Mexico, USA.
Sci Prog. 1998;81 ( Pt 2):101-22.
Neutron and X-ray small-angle scattering techniques have made significant advances in their applications in structural molecular biology. They have become important tools for studying the structural basis for biomolecular function, revealing details of protein and DNA structure, as well as functionally important conformational flexibility and interactions. More powerful neutron and X-ray sources are now available which enable faster data acquisition on lower concentration samples, as well as time-resolved studies in the case of synchrotron sources. This source development has been accompanied by instrument development and advances in scattering techniques. At the same time, advances in molecular biology that facilitate preparation of samples have made available more biological molecules suitable for study by scattering techniques. In this review we briefly describe the basic theory and practice of small-angle scattering and follow with examples of its application to studying the conformations of biomolecules in solution, as well as within functional complexes.
中子和X射线小角散射技术在结构分子生物学中的应用取得了重大进展。它们已成为研究生物分子功能的结构基础、揭示蛋白质和DNA结构细节以及功能上重要的构象灵活性和相互作用的重要工具。现在有了更强大的中子和X射线源，能够在较低浓度样品上更快地采集数据，对于同步辐射源还能进行时间分辨研究。这种光源的发展伴随着仪器的发展和散射技术的进步。与此同时，分子生物学的进展有助于样品制备，使得更多适合用散射技术研究的生物分子得以问世。在本综述中，我们简要描述小角散射的基本理论和实践，随后举例说明其在研究溶液中生物分子构象以及功能复合物中生物分子构象方面的应用。
