Ever since Watson and Crick made a stick and ball model of DNA and the secret of biological inheritance unfolded before their eyes, 3-D models have been the key to understanding biological activity. Now, scientists at DOE's Argonne National Laboratory are setting speed records in collecting data for those 3-D models. For example, in just 23 minutes, they obtained data needed to fully construct a 3-D image of a portion of a molecular structure involved in protein folding. Previously, such an experiment would have taken 24 to 36 hours. Biologists can now work fast enough to investigate smaller, fragile crystals before the X-rays break them down.
Scientists can also study smaller crystals and much larger proteins and protein complexes.
In about a year, more than 1,200 data sets were produced and more than 100 structures have been solved. Compare that to the slightly more than 7,500 structures identified over the past 50 years. Submitted by DOE's Argonne National Laboratory DOE Pulse highlights work being done at the Department of Energy's national laboratories. DOE Pulse is distributed every two weeks. Because the technology is expected to have a broad range of national defense and civilian applications ranging from treaty monitoring to mapping of chemical spills, waste heat pollution in lakes and rivers, vegetation health and volcanic activity, DOE has established an MTI Users Group, comprising more than 100 researchers from 50 national defense and civilian agencies.