scholarly journals A beginner's guide to solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Melissa Gräwert ◽  
Dmitri Svergun

The Beginner's Guide series covers key techniques and offers the scientifically literate but not necessarily expert audience a background briefing on the underlying science of a technique that is (or will be) widely used in molecular bioscience. The series covers a mixture of techniques, including some that are well established amongst a subset of our readership but not necessarily familiar to those in different specialisms. This Beginner's Guide introduces solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique, which is complementary to different bioanalytical and structural methods. With straightforward data collection procedures and minimal restrictions in sample environment, information on size, shape and conformational flexibility of biological macromolecules and complexes in near native solutions can be rapidly obtained. Here, we highlight the recent developments that have advanced SAXS to a versatile tool with the capability to enrich almost any biochemical study.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Schroer ◽  
Dmitri I. Svergun

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has become a streamline method to characterize biological macromolecules, from small peptides to supramolecular complexes, in near-native solutions. Modern SAXS requires limited amounts of purified material, without the need for labelling, crystallization, or freezing. Dedicated beamlines at modern synchrotron sources yield high-quality data within or below several milliseconds of exposure time and are highly automated, allowing for rapid structural screening under different solutions and ambient conditions but also for time-resolved studies of biological processes. The advanced data analysis methods allow one to meaningfully interpret the scattering data from monodisperse systems, from transient complexes as well as flexible and heterogeneous systems in terms of structural models. Especially powerful are hybrid approaches utilizing SAXS with high-resolution structural techniques, but also with biochemical, biophysical, and computational methods. Here, we review the recent developments in the experimental SAXS practice and in analysis methods with a specific focus on the joint use of SAXS with complementary methods.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve P. Meisburger ◽  
Da Xu ◽  
Nozomi Ando

AbstractMixtures of biological macromolecules are inherently difficult to study using structural methods, as increasing complexity presents new challenges for data analysis. Recently, there has been growing interest in studying evolving mixtures using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in conjunction with time-resolved, high-throughput, or chromatography-coupled setups. Deconvolution and interpretation of the resulting datasets, however, are nontrivial when neither the scattering components nor the way in which they evolve are known a priori. To address this issue, we introduce the REGALS method (REGularized Alternating Least Squares), which incorporates simple expectations about the data as prior knowledge and utilizes parameterization and regularization to provide robust deconvolution solutions. The restraints used by REGALS are general properties such as smoothness of profiles and maximum dimensions of species, which makes it well-suited for exploring datasets with unknown species. Here we apply REGALS to analyze experimental data from four types of SAXS experiment: anion-exchange (AEX) coupled SAXS, ligand titration, time-resolved mixing, and time-resolved temperature jump. Based on its performance with these challenging datasets, we anticipate that REGALS will be a valuable addition to the SAXS analysis toolkit and enable new experiments. The software is implemented in both MATLAB and python and is available freely as an open-source software package.


2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1428-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Li ◽  
Xiuhong Li ◽  
Yuzhu Wang ◽  
Guangfeng Liu ◽  
Ping Zhou ◽  
...  

The beamline BL19U2 is located in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) and is its first beamline dedicated to biological material small-angle X-ray scattering (BioSAXS). The electrons come from an undulator which can provide high brilliance for the BL19U2 end stations. A double flat silicon crystal (111) monochromator is used in BL19U2, with a tunable monochromatic photon energy ranging from 7 to 15 keV. To meet the rapidly growing demands of crystallographers, biochemists and structural biologists, the BioSAXS beamline allows manual and automatic sample loading/unloading. A Pilatus 1M detector (Dectris) is employed for data collection, characterized by a high dynamic range and a short readout time. The highly automated data processing pipeline SASFLOW was integrated into BL19U2, with help from the BioSAXS group of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Hamburg), which provides a user-friendly interface for data processing. The BL19U2 beamline was officially opened to users in March 2015. To date, feedback from users has been positive and the number of experimental proposals at BL19U2 is increasing. A description of the new BioSAXS beamline and the setup characteristics is given, together with examples of data obtained.


2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuji Akiyama

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique with which to evaluate the size and shape of biological macromolecules in solution. Forward scattering intensity normalized relative to the particle concentration,I(0)/c, is useful as a good measure of molecular mass. A general method for deducing the molecular mass from SAXS data is to determine the ratio ofI(0)/cof a target protein to that of a standard protein with known molecular mass. The accuracy of this interprotein calibration is affected considerably by the monodispersity of the prepared standard, as well as by the precision in estimating its concentration. In the present study, chromatographic fractionation followed by hydrodynamic characterization is proposed as an effective procedure by which to prepare a series of monodispersed protein standards. The estimation of molecular mass within an average deviation of 8% is demonstrated using monodispersed bovine serum albumin as a standard. The present results demonstrate the importance of protein standard quality control in order to take full advantage of interprotein calibration.


2009 ◽  
Vol 206 (8) ◽  
pp. 1723-1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Feldkamp ◽  
M. Kuhlmann ◽  
S. V. Roth ◽  
A. Timmann ◽  
R. Gehrke ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 138a
Author(s):  
Ivan Rajkovic ◽  
Tsutomu Matsui ◽  
Ping Liu ◽  
Thomas M. Weiss

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